noun

deposition

dep-uh-ZISH-uhn/ˌdepəˈzɪʃn/

Sworn testimony taken outside court for later legal use.

The witness gives a deposition while a reporter records the testimony.

Small office deposition: witness raises right hand to oath beside lawyer while reporter types transcript; ordinary conference table, no judge bench, no courtroom, no readable text.

Etymology

deLatinaway, down

+positLatinto put, place

+ionLatinaction or process

The pieces convey an act of putting down or laying aside. The noun also developed the legal meaning of statements made under oath—the sense behind testimony taken outside court for a case.

In context

Mike Rafi - Personal Injury Lawyer3:25

in her deposition the woman claimed she never saw my client until the moment of impact but in court she said something else

Impeachment by Contradiction vs. Omission: How Lawyers Expose Witness Inconsistencies in Court

More examples

Her lawyer attended the deposition.
Several depositions became evidence later.
The deposition took place in a conference room.

Forms

deposition · depositions

Similar words

testimony: The broader sworn account, which may be given in court.
affidavit: An affidavit is a sworn written statement rather than testimony obtained through questioning.