depose

Recorded since c.1300, from Middle English, from Old French deposer, from de- (“down”) + poser (“to put, place”). Deposition (1494 in the legal sense) belongs to deposit, but that related word and depose became thoroughly confused.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɪˈpəʊz/
• (US) IPA^(key): /diˈpoʊz/, /dəˈpoʊz/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊz

depose (third-person singular simple present deposes, present participle deposing, simple past and past participle deposed)

1. (literally, transitive) To put down; to lay down; to deposit; to lay aside; to put away.
   • 1695, John Woodward, “(please specify the page)”, in An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth: And Terrestrial Bodies, Especially Minerals: […], London: […] Ric[hard] Wilkin […], →OCLC:

     additional mud deposed upon it

2. (transitive) To remove (a leader) from (high) office, without killing the incumbent.

   A deposed monarch may go into exile as pretender to the lost throne, hoping to be restored in a subsequent revolution.

   • 1643, William Prynne, “(please specify |part=1 to 4, or Appendix)”, in The Soveraigne Power of Parliaments and Kingdomes: […], London: […] Michael Sparke Senior, →OCLC:

     a tyrant over his subjects, and therefore worthy to be deposed

3. (law, intransitive) To give evidence or testimony, especially in response to interrogation during a deposition
4. (law, transitive) To interrogate and elicit testimony from during a deposition; typically done by a lawyer.

   After we deposed the claimant we had enough evidence to avoid a trial.

   • 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     Depose him in the justice of his cause.

5. (intransitive) To take or swear an oath.
6. To testify; to bear witness; to claim; to assert; to affirm.
   • c. 1598, Francis Bacon, The Office of Compositions for Alienations:

     to depose the yearly rent or valuation of lands

• declare

• restore

• deponent
• deposit
• deposition
• depositio de bene esse

• Speedo, epodes, speedo

From depos (“since, afterward”) +‎ -e (“adverb”).

• IPA^(key): /de.ˈpo.se/, /dɛ.ˈpɔ.sɛ/

depose

1. since, from that time, thence, thenceforth

• depos ke (“since”)

depose

1. third-person singular past historic of deporre