deponent

/di-ˈpō-nənt How to pronounce deponent (audio)/ (ame, mw)

deponent — noun

1. someone who answers questions or gives a sworn statement in a legal deposition o

1.名詞C1
釋義

someone who answers questions or gives a sworn statement in a legal deposition or another similar formal procedure

例句

During the deposition, Ramon answered each question as the deponent on record.

the deponent answering questions in a deposition

The lawyer asked the deponent to read the dates from the notebook.

question the deponent during legal questioning

同義詞
  • witness

    much broader and far more common; a witness may simply have seen an event

  • affiant

    narrower; the person signs an affidavit rather than answering deposition questions

  • testifier

    formal and focused on the act of giving testimony, not specifically a deposition

文法句型

the deponent answered [question]

question the deponent

用法筆記

Mostly appears in legal procedure and case records, especially when a person is answering questions under oath outside the courtroom. In everyday English, witness or person giving evidence is usually more natural.

常見錯誤

Every witness in court is a deponent.
A deponent is a person giving a sworn statement in a deposition or similar procedure.
💡not every witness is called a deponent; the word belongs to a narrower legal setting.

2. a verb whose forms look passive or middle, but which speakers understand with an

2.名詞C2
釋義

a verb whose forms look passive or middle, but which speakers understand with an active meaning

例句

The worksheet lists loquor as a deponent in the first column.

loquor is identified as a deponent

Hao forgot that sequor is a deponent, not a regular passive verb.

contrast with a regular passive verb

同義詞

文法句型

loquor is a deponent

memorize a deponent

用法筆記

Used in grammar and language-study contexts, especially for Latin and Greek. When English names the pattern rather than the verb itself, it usually uses the adjective deponent before a noun, as in deponent verb.

常見錯誤

A deponent is just a passive verb.
A deponent is a verb with passive-looking forms but an active meaning.
💡the form looks passive, but the meaning is not passive.

deponent — adjective