What does depone mean?
To depone is to testify — to make a solemn, sworn statement of fact, typically in a court of law or other formal proceeding. The verb belongs to the elevated register of legal language: witnesses depone before tribunals, commissions, and courts, affirming the truth of their accounts under oath. It is closely related to the more familiar word "depose," which can mean both to remove someone from power and to give testimony; "depone" retains only the testimony sense, making it a precise but somewhat old-fashioned choice. The word derives from Latin deponere, "to put down or lay aside," the same root behind "deposit" and "postpone." Today it survives mainly in legal writing and in Scots law, where it remains standard terminology, though ordinary speakers will more often encounter its noun form, "deposition," which names the sworn written statement itself. Knowing it adds precision when describing formal acts of witness.
verbTo testify or make a formal statement under oath, especially in a legal deposition.
- To testify or state something formally under oath, especially in legal proceedings.
"The witness was called to depone before the commission regarding the company's financial dealings."
"The notary asked each witness to depone as to what they had seen on the night of the fire."
"In his affidavit, the accountant deposed that he had never authorized the transfer."
When you depone, you're literally 'laying down' your words on oath — the same Latin verb that gives us deposit and postpone.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of depone
Depone comes from Latin deponere, meaning "to put down, lay aside, or set down," formed from de- ("down") plus ponere ("to put or place"). It entered English in the early modern period through legal Latin, where setting one's statement "down" in sworn form gave rise to the sense of testifying under oath. It shares this root with a family of English words including deposit, component, postpone, and deponent, as well as with the noun deposition, the sworn statement itself.
Related word forms
How depone is actually used
Formal and largely restricted to legal contexts, especially in Scots law and older English legal usage; in most modern contexts "testify" or "give a deposition" is preferred.
Easily confused with depone
"Depose" can mean either to remove from office or to give testimony under oath, whereas "depone" means only to give testimony; the two share a Latin root but differ in meaning and register.