deponent

 
Pronunciation: /dɪˈpəʊnənt/

adjective

Grammar
  • (of a verb, especially in Latin or Greek) passive or middle in form but active in meaning.

noun

  • 1 Grammar a deponent verb.
  • 2 Law a person who makes a deposition or affidavit under oath.

Origin:

late Middle English: from Latin deponent- 'laying aside, putting down' (in medieval Latin 'testifying'), from the verb deponere, from de- 'down' + ponere 'place'. The use in grammar arose from the notion that the verb had ‘laid aside’ the passive sense (although in fact these verbs were originally reflexive)