What does depute mean?
To depute means to entrust a task, duty, or authority to another person who then acts on your behalf, usually as a subordinate or designated representative. It is a formal verb found most often in administrative, legal, political, and business contexts: a manager might depute an assistant to chair a meeting, or a government minister might depute an official to negotiate abroad. The word carries a connotation of official delegation rather than casual handover — what is deputed is typically a defined responsibility or power, not a trivial errand. It comes from the Latin deputare, meaning to reckon or consider, the same root that gives us "deputy" and "deputation," and this shared origin makes the connection between the verb and its noun forms easy to remember. A rarer noun sense of depute, meaning a deputy, survives chiefly in Scottish English, where a sheriff's substitute may be known as a sheriff-depute. For writers seeking precise, professional vocabulary for delegation of authority, depute remains a valuable choice.
To formally entrust a task, duty, or authority to someone else, who acts as one's representative.
"The director deputed the regional manager to handle the negotiations."
Usually followed by a person and then the task, often introduced by 'to': depute someone to do something.
A deputy; a person appointed to act on behalf of another.
"The sheriff-depute presided over the court in the sheriff's absence."
Chiefly Scottish; rare outside Scottish legal and historical contexts.
Applies only to the rare noun sense, chiefly Scottish, meaning deputies or substitutes.
"The deputes were sworn in to serve during the sheriff's absence."
"Depute" and "compute" share more than a rhyme — both descend from Latin verbs of reckoning, though only one of them now involves counting on someone else.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of depute
Depute comes from the Latin deputare, formed from de- ('away, down') plus putare ('to reckon, consider'), originally meaning to reckon or attribute to someone. It entered English via Old French in the late Middle Ages, first appearing in senses relating to assigning or attributing, before settling into its modern sense of formally entrusting duties to another. The same root produced "deputy" and "deputation," which remain its closest English relatives.
Related word forms
How depute is actually used
Formal and somewhat bureaucratic in register; common in official, legal, and administrative contexts rather than everyday speech. In British usage it appears frequently in parliamentary and corporate language. As a noun, 'depute' survives mainly in Scottish English meaning a deputy.
Easily confused with depute
A deputy is the person who acts on another's behalf, while to depute is the act of assigning that role or duty.
To dispute means to argue against or question something, whereas to depute means to delegate a task or duty.