deposition

American  

[dep-uh-zish-uhn, dee-puh-] / ˌdɛp əˈzɪʃ ən, ˌdi pə- /

noun

1. removal from an office or position.

2. the act or process of depositing.

   deposition of the documents with the Library of Congress.

3. the state of being deposited or precipitated.

   deposition of soil at the mouth of a river.

4. something that is deposited.

5. Law.

   1. the giving of testimony under oath.

   2. the testimony so given.

   3. a statement under oath, taken down in writing, to be used in court in place of the spoken testimony of the witness.

6. Ecclesiastical.

   1. the interment of the body of a saint.

   2. the reinterment of the body or the relics of a saint.

7. (initial capital letter)  a work of art depicting Christ being lowered from the Cross.

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Deposition ¹ British  

/ ˌdiːpə-, ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the taking down of Christ's body from the Cross or a representation of this

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deposition ² British  

/ ˌdiːpə-, ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. law

   1. the giving of testimony on oath

   2. the testimony so given

   3. the sworn statement of a witness used in court in his absence

2. the act or instance of deposing

3. the act or an instance of depositing

4. something that is deposited; deposit

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deposition Scientific  

/ dĕp′ə-zĭsh′ən /

1. The accumulation or laying down of matter by a natural process, as the laying down of sediments in a river or the accumulation of mineral deposits in a bodily organ.

2. The process of changing from a gas to a solid without passing through an intermediate liquid phase. Carbon dioxide, at a pressure of one atmosphere, undergoes deposition at about −78 degrees Celsius.

3. Compare sublimation

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Other Word Forms

• depositional adjective
• postdepositional adjective

Etymology

Origin of deposition

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin dēpositiōn-, stem of dēpositiō “a putting aside, testimony, burial,” equivalent to Latin dēposit(us) “laid down” ( deposit ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

However, the perspective of Sheikh Saeed is clear from court depositions.

From BBC

The jury will view video of depositions given by former Angels players C.J.

From Los Angeles Times

He invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to a subpoena for documents and questions in a deposition in the New York lawsuit against Indyke and Kahn filed last year.

From The Wall Street Journal

Such depositions could shed light on other questions about the Lachman fire.

From Los Angeles Times

Berchtold noted that the case with the Justice Department was in the middle of expert depositions, with a trial date set for March 6.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• affidavit
• allegation
• announcement
• evidence
• testimony