Etymologically
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deputy

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 23:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈdep.jə.ti/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English depute,[2] borrowed from Anglo-Norman deputé, a noun use of the past participle of Old French députer “to appoint, assign”,[3][2][4] from Late Latin dēputāre (“to destine, allot”),[3][4] in classical Latin “to esteem, consider”, literally “to cut off, prune”,[3] from dē “away” and putāre “to think, count”, literally “to cut, prune”,[3] from Proto-Indo-European *pau- (“to cut, strike”).[3] It is related to depute and deputation.[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In law, a person authorized to act for another: 1405 in the OED.[5] A subordinate officer given the full power of an office: about 1400 in Etymonline,[3] about 1425 in the OED.[5]

Semantic evolution

A governor acting for a sovereign is from about 1490,[5] and an elected representative in a legislature, as in France, from 1600.[5] In the City of London a deputy is a member of the Common Council acting for an alderman, from 1557.[5] By deputy, by proxy, is from 1625,[5] and a person sent to act for others, as in a deputation, from 1769.[3][5] In northern English coal mines a deputy is a minor official in charge of safety, from 1851.[5][6] In the United States a deputy is commonly a deputy sheriff.[7][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1400 – a subordinate officer.[3]
  • 1405 – in law.[5]
  • c. 1490 – a governor for a sovereign.[5]
  • 1600 – a member of a legislature.[5]
  • 1769 – a delegate.[3][5]
  • 1851 – a colliery official.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person appointed to act for another or others.
  2. An assistant with full authority when the superior is absent: deputy head.
  3. A member of a legislative assembly in some countries, as France.
  4. (US) A deputy sheriff.

Adjective

  1. Acting as a deputy: the deputy prime minister.

Word family

  • deputyship
  • deputize
  • depute
  • deputation
  • compute
  • amputate

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)
  7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  8. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster