deposit

[ dih-poz-it ]

verb (used with object)

1. to place for safekeeping or in trust, especially in a bank account:

   He deposited his paycheck every Friday.

   Synonyms: store, save, bank

2. to give as security or in part payment.
3. to deliver and leave (an item):

   Please deposit your returned books with the librarian.

4. to insert (a coin) in a coin-operated device:

   Deposit a quarter and push the button.

5. to put, place, or set down, especially carefully or exactly:

   She deposited the baby in the crib.

6. to lay or throw down by a natural process; precipitate:

   The river deposited soil at its mouth.

verb (used without object)

1. to be placed, inserted, precipitated, left for safekeeping, given as security or in partial payment, etc.

noun

1. money placed in a bank account or an instance of placing money in a bank account.
2. anything given as security or in part payment:

   The boy returned the bottle and got his five-cent deposit back.

   They made a deposit on the house and signed a ten-year mortgage.

3. anything laid away or entrusted to another for safekeeping:

   A large deposit of jewels was stolen from the hotel safe.

4. a place for safekeeping; depository.
5. something precipitated, delivered and left, or thrown down, as by a natural process:

   a deposit of soil.

6. the natural sediment of wine in a bottle.
7. a coating of metal deposited on something, usually by an electric current.
8. a natural accumulation or occurrence, especially of oil or ore:

   a mountain range with many rich deposits of gold.

   Synonyms: pocket, vein, lode

deposit

/ dɪˈpɒzɪt /

verb

1. to put or set down, esp carefully or in a proper place; place
2. to entrust for safekeeping; consign
3. to place (money) in a bank or similar institution in order to earn interest or for safekeeping
4. to give (money) in part payment or as security
5. to lay down naturally; cause to settle

   the river deposits silt

noun

1. 1. an instance of entrusting money or valuables to a bank or similar institution
   2. the money or valuables so entrusted
2. money given in part payment or as security, as when goods are bought on hire-purchase See also down payment
3. a consideration, esp money, given temporarily as security against loss of or damage to something borrowed or hired
4. an accumulation of sediments, mineral ores, coal, etc
5. any deposited material, such as a sediment or a precipitate that has settled out of solution
6. a coating produced on a surface, esp a layer of metal formed by electrolysis
7. a depository or storehouse
8. on deposit
   payable as the first instalment, as when buying on hire-purchase

deposit

/ dĭ-pŏz′ĭt /

1. An accumulation or layer of solid material, either consolidated or unconsolidated, left or laid down by a natural process. Deposits include sediments left by water, wind, ice, gravity, volcanic activity, or other agents. A layer of coal formed over many years through the decomposition of plant material is also a deposit.

Other Words From

• prede·posit noun verb
• rede·posit verb noun
• subde·posit noun
• super·de·posit noun
• unde·posit·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deposit¹

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin dēpositus “laid down,” past participle of dēpōnere; depone

Word History and Origins

Origin of deposit¹

C17: from Medieval Latin dēpositāre, from Latin dēpositus put down

Example Sentences

But unlike nitrogen, another critical soil nutrient, phosphorus is a non-renewable resource with limited geological deposits, meaning that once it moves from land to water, it can't get back into the land.

From Science Daily

The earliest votes counted in the 45th Congressional District showed Steel leading by more than 5 percentage points, but that lead vanished as elections officials counted ballots deposited in drop boxes and sent by mail.

From Los Angeles Times

On the Spanish island of Lanzarote, just west of North Africa, the team explored six lava tubes to gather mineral deposits.

From Science Daily

The campaigns led to the discovery, for example, of uranium reserves in the lower Yangtze River Basin and a major molybdenum-tungsten deposit in the Nanling Mountains in southern China.

From Science Magazine

Every year it clawed this money back by depositing lower royalty payments - the money it received for every barrel pumped out of the ground - with the Nigerian treasury.

From BBC

Related Words

• security