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deponent

Pronunciation: /dɪˈpəʊnənt/
Definition of deponent

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)

deponent in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of deponent in the US English dictionary