Etymologically
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deposit

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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
  • 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