depone, v. Chiefly Sc.
(dɪˈpəʊn)
[ad. L. dēpōnĕre to lay away or aside, to lay down, put down, depose, deposit; in med.L. to testify (Du Cange); f. de- I. 1, 2 + pōnĕre to put, place; cf. depose v.]
† 1. trans. To lay down (a burden, an office); to deposit. Obs.
| 1533 Bellenden Livy iv. (1822) 357 He had causit the maister of chevelry to depone his office. 1649–50 Foord in M. P. Brown Suppl. Dec. I. 394 (Jam.) Who had deponed his money in David his hand. a 1843 Southey Inscriptions xli, The obedient element Sifts or depones its burthen. |
† 2. To remove from office;
= depose v. 3.
Obs.| 1533 Bellenden Livy ii. (1822) 106 Gif he..had deponit ony of the kingis afore rehersit fra thair empire and kingdome. |
3. To state or declare upon oath; to
depose.
a. with
simple object; also
† to depone an oath (serment).
| 1549 Compl. Scot. xv. 136 Iunius brutus gart them depone ane serment that thai suld al concur. 1637–50 Row Hist. Kirk (1842) 26 He himself hes confessed all that they deponed. 1834 H. Miller Scenes & Leg. xxi. (1857) 312 Any thing they could have to depone anent the spulzie. |
b. with
clause.
| 1600 Gowrie's Conspir. in Select. Harl. Misc. (1793) 198 Andrew Hendersoun..Depones, that the earle enquyred of him what he would be doing vppon the morrow. 1681 Glanvill Sadducismus ii. 297 Andr. Martin Servitour to the Lord of Pollock..Depones, that he was present in the house. 1830 Scott Demonol. viii. 265 Who deponed that he saw a cat jump into the accused person's cottage window. 1842 Barham Ingol. Leg., Dead Drummer, One Mr. Jones Comes forth and depones That fifteen years since he had heard certain groans. |
4. intr. To declare upon oath; to testify, bear testimony. Also
fig.| 1640 R. Baillie Canterb. Self-Convict. 34 Two witnesses..deponing before all England to King James. 1680 G. Hickes Spirit of Popery 26 Prosecuted for not deponeing in the matter of Field-Meetings. 1793 Trial of Fyshe Palmer 66 He was the more difficulted to depone to the letter, as, etc. 1835 Alison Hist. Europe (1849–50) III. xiv. §30. 164 He could not depone to one fact against the accused. |
| fig. 1833 Chalmers Bridgewater Treat. i. i. 61 This fact or phenomenon..depones strongly both for a God and for the supreme righteousness of his nature. 1856 Ferrier Inst. Metaph. 414 We cannot be ignorant of what is deponed to in the opposites of the axiom. |