deposition
/ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n
/ /diːpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/noun [mass noun]
1The action of deposing someone, especially a monarch: Edward V’s deposition...
- At the point when his power to command death and to sustain his own life has been arrested, Richard is divested of the spectacular carapace that encases the body of the monarch, his deposition is a fall into subjectivity.
- On his deposition Prince Carol Hohenzollen-Sigmaringen was elected.
- The factional conflict erupted into Civil War which resulted in Henry's deposition in 1461 when Richard's son inaugurated the reign of the House of York as Edward IV.
Synonyms
overthrow, overturning, toppling, downfall, removal from office, removal, unseating, dethronement, supplanting, displacement, dismissal, discharge, ousting, drumming out, throwing out, forcing out, driving out, expulsion, expelling, ejection, ejecting;
demotion;
North American ouster
informal sacking, firing, defenestration
British informal turfing out
rare deposal
2 Law The giving of sworn evidence: the deposition of four expert witnesses...
- That contradicted her sworn deposition, in which she said board members hadn't named what alternatives should be presented to balance evolutionary theory.
- It tells the plaintiff, in effect, that he or she cannot even force the defendant to answer questions, in deposition or interrogatories, about what exactly occurred.
- Mr Coppel informed us that neither the transcript of the memorandum interview, the video of it, or any other deposition is available to the Respondent.
2.1 [count noun] A formal, usually written, statement to be used as evidence: a commissioner to take depositions from witnesses...
- In fact, what happens is that on a ‘fast track’ plea, police officers do not prepare statements or depositions at all.
- Right now, the lawyers are working on pre-trial hearings, depositions, and evidence gathering.
- Several measures, however, have been allowed to shorten the process, including taking of depositions from potential witnesses while open court is not in session.
Synonyms
statement, sworn statement, affidavit, attestation, affirmation, assertion;
allegation, submission, declaration, pronouncement, profession;
testimony, evidence
rare asseveration, averment, representation
3The action of depositing something: pebbles formed by the deposition of calcium in solution...
- These chemicals prevented normal calcium deposition during eggshell formation, and caused females to lay thin-shelled eggs that often broke before hatching.
- Untreated inflammation can result in cataracts, calcium deposition in the cornea, glaucoma and, ultimately, blindness.
- In a state of the art review article, Chan and colleagues discuss calcium deposition with or without bone formation in the lung.
Synonyms
depositing, settling;
accumulation, build-up
informal dumping
technical precipitation
4 (the Deposition) The removal of the body of Christ from the Cross.The Pietà is the title given to the representation of the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and St. John lamenting over the dead Christ after the Deposition and before the Entombment....
- The scene of the Deposition at Parma is further amplified by the presence of John the Evangelist at the right of the cross, the three Marys, Magdalene, Jacobi and Salome and a group of soldiers playing for the garment of the Saviour.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin depositio(n-), from the verb deponere (see deposit).