deposition

[ dep-uh-zish-uhn, dee-puh- ]
See synonyms for deposition on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. removal from an office or position.

  2. the act or process of depositing: deposition of the documents with the Library of Congress.

  1. the state of being deposited or precipitated: deposition of soil at the mouth of a river.

  2. something that is deposited.

  3. Law.

    • the giving of testimony under oath.

    • the testimony so given.

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

  4. Ecclesiastical.

    • the interment of the body of a saint.

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

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

Origin of deposition

1
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” (see deposit) + -iō -ion

Other words from deposition

  • dep·o·si·tion·al, adjective
  • post·dep·o·si·tion·al, adjective

Words Nearby deposition

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use deposition in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deposition (1 of 2)

deposition

/ (ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃən, ˌdiːpə-) /


noun
  1. law

    • the giving of testimony on oath

    • the testimony so given

    • the sworn statement of a witness used in court in his absence

  2. the act or instance of deposing

  1. the act or an instance of depositing

  2. something that is deposited; deposit

Origin of deposition

1
C14: from Late Latin dēpositiō a laying down, disposal, burying, testimony

British Dictionary definitions for Deposition (2 of 2)

Deposition

/ (ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃən, ˌdiːpə-) /


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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for deposition

deposition

[ dĕp′ə-zĭshən ]


  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. Compare sublimation.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.