Deponent
/dɪˈpoʊnənt/noun
A verb that is passive in form but active in meaning, or a person who deposes testimony.
Did you know?Deponent comes from Latin deponentem, the present participle of deponere, and in Roman legal language a deponent was someone who had “laid down” a statement under oath.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₃-
“to put, place, set”
Latin
Latin
ponere
“to place, set, put”
Latin
Latin
deponere
“to put down, lay aside, deposit”
Late Latin
Latin
deponentem
“one who lays down or deposits; in grammar, a verb laid down in passive form”
Middle English
English
deponent
“a witness giving sworn testimony”
Modern English
English
deponent
“a passive-form verb with active meaning; a person giving testimony”