Depute
/dɪˈpjuːt/noun
To appoint or send someone to act on one’s behalf; a deputy is such a person.
Did you know?Depute comes through Anglo-French from Latin *deputare*, originally meaning to reckon, count, or assign, showing how power was once framed as a calculated act of division.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pau-
“to cut, strike, or prune”
Latin
Latin
putare
“to trim, prune, cleanse; later to reckon or consider”
Latin
Latin
deputare
“to cut off, set apart, assign”
Middle English
Anglo-French / Middle English
deputer
“to assign, appoint, or send as a representative”
Modern English
English
depute
“to appoint or authorize someone to act for another”