deposit

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dɪˈpɒz.ɪt/ (UK); /dɪˈpɑ.zɪt/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Latin dēpositum (“something laid aside”), and the verb from dēpositus, the past participle of dēpōnere (“to lay aside, put down”),^[2][3][4] from dē- (“away”) and pōnere (“to put”) (see position);^[2][3] SOED derives the verb from French dépositer or Medieval Latin dēpositāre.^[5] It is a doublet of depot.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The state of being placed in safekeeping, on deposit: 1621 in MWU, 1624 in Barnhart, in Francis Bacon, and the OED;^[4][2][6] the verb, to place in another's hands as a pledge, 1624.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Something laid up or committed to another's charge is from before 1660.^[6] A sum paid as a pledge or first instalment is from 1737,^[6] and money placed in a bank for safety or interest from 1737–53.^[3][6] A layer of matter laid down by natural processes, such as minerals or sediment, is from 1781.^[3][6] The verb, to lay away for safekeeping, is from the 1650s, and to lay or set down from 1749.^[3] Middle English had depost, a thing entrusted (late 14th century).^[3]

Timeline

• 1621 – in safekeeping.^[4]
• 1624 – the verb.^[2]
• 1737 – a sum paid as a pledge.^[6]
• 1781 – a natural layer of matter.^[3][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A sum of money paid into a bank account.
2. A first payment for something, or money given as security.
3. A layer of sediment, minerals or other matter accumulated naturally.

Verb

1. To put or set down, especially in a particular place.
2. To put money into a bank or give it as security.
3. Of water, wind or ice, to leave a layer of matter.

Word family

• depositor
• safe-deposit
• subdeposit
• electrodeposit
• predeposit
• redeposit
• undeposited
• certificate of deposit

Related words

• depose
• depositary
• depository
• repository
• suppository
• depot
• deposition
• position
• depone

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press