depository
Americannoun
plural
depositories-
a place where something is deposited or stored, as for safekeeping.
the night depository of a bank.
-
a depositary; trustee.
adjective
noun
-
a store, such as a warehouse, for furniture, valuables, etc; repository
-
a variant spelling of depositary
Other Word Forms
- nondepository adjective
- predepository noun
- subdepository noun
Etymology
Origin of depository
1650–60; depository ( def. 1 ) < Medieval Latin dēpositōrium; depository ( def. 2 ) deposit + -ory 1 (noun use of adj. suffix)
Explanation
A depository is a place where things are kept or stored. You might call your city's Natural History Museum a depository of local dinosaur fossils. A library could also be called a book depository, since books are stored there, and the official name of Fort Knox, which once stored much of the gold in the US, is the United States Bullion Depository. The word depository literally means "place where things are deposited," from the Latin root deponere, "lay aside or deposit," combining de-, "away," and ponere, "to put."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bank trade associations have said such offerings could drain deposits from depository institutions, which often pay little interest, and curtail lending.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
It is looking at allowing Chinese-registered companies to follow Chinese accounting rules when listing global depository receipts in London.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
"I'm convinced there are still people out there, one in particular who I think was probably in that cash depository that we've never traced," he said.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026
The company reported adjusted earnings of 61 cents per American depository receipt on revenue growth of 5% to $34.81 billion.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 25, 2025
Chicago’s small but vocal censorians feared that impoverished parents would turn the building into a depository for unwanted children.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
