deposition
gb/dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/ us/dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
C1
English
~ 8800
eskü alatt tett tanúvallomás, megbuktatás, trónfosztás, lerakódás, ülepedés, deszublimáció, Krisztus levétele a keresztről, Levétel a keresztről
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
1
Usage pattern:
to give a deposition about [something]
Her deposition contradicted what she had told the police on the night of the incident.
Az eskü alatt tett tanúvallomása ellentmondott annak, amit az incidens éjszakáján a rendőrségnek mondott.
The lawyer reviewed the witness’s deposition before deciding whether to settle the case.
Az ügyvéd átnézte a tanú eskü alatt tett vallomását, mielőtt eldöntötte, peren kívül megegyeznek-e.
During his deposition, he admitted that he had altered the financial records.
The video deposition will be played for the jury at trial.
Both sides scheduled multiple depositions to prepare for the complex lawsuit.
Learner examples
She gave a deposition in the lawyer’s office.
Az ügyvéd irodájában tett eskü alatt vallomást.
His deposition will be used in the trial next month.
Az eskü alatt tett vallomását a jövő havi tárgyaláson fogják felhasználni.
The witness was nervous before his deposition.
The lawyer asked many questions during the deposition.
They watched the recording of her deposition in court.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "deposition" with "deposit" (money put in a bank) because the words look similar. "Deposition" in this sense is only about legal testimony under oath, not about money or bank accounts.
Meaning
formal sworn testimony before trial
Collocations
give a deposition
|sworn deposition
|video deposition
|take [someone's] deposition
|deposition transcript
|pretrial deposition
Synonyms
testimony (More general word for spoken evidence in court; not limited to the pretrial setting.)
|
affidavit (A written sworn statement; similar legal purpose but not spoken questioning like a deposition.)
Antonyms
silence (Refers to not speaking or refusing to give information, the opposite of providing sworn testimony.)
Themes
law
|work
|communication
Definition
A formal statement that a person gives under oath, usually in a lawyer’s office, which can be used later in court.
A formal statement of evidence that a witness gives under oath, usually outside the courtroom, which is recorded and can be used later in a legal case.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
2
megbuktatás
B2
trónfosztás
C1
Usage pattern:
the deposition of [a leader/official]
The sudden deposition of the president plunged the country into uncertainty.
Az elnök hirtelen megbuktatása bizonytalanságba taszította az országot.
Historians still debate whether the king’s deposition was justified.
A történészek még mindig vitatják, hogy indokolt volt-e a király trónfosztása.
Mass protests eventually led to the deposition of the authoritarian regime.
The constitution outlines the process for the legal deposition of a corrupt judge.
His deposition from office created a power vacuum at the top of the party.
Learner examples
The revolution ended with the deposition of the king.
A forradalom a király trónfosztásával ért véget.
People celebrated the deposition of the dictator.
Az emberek a diktátor megbuktatását ünnepelték.
After his deposition, he left the country.
The court ordered the deposition of the corrupt mayor.
The movie shows the deposition of the old leader.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with the legal-testimony sense. In this political meaning, "deposition" is usually followed by "of" plus a leader or official (e.g. "the deposition of the king"), and does not involve speaking or giving evidence.
Meaning
removal of someone from power
Collocations
the deposition of the king
|violent deposition
|peaceful deposition
|forcible deposition
|the deposition of the president
|military deposition
Synonyms
overthrow (Often suggests removal by force or revolution, whereas "deposition" can be legal or political as well as violent.)
|
ouster (Common in modern political and business English; slightly less formal than "deposition".)
Antonyms
accession (Refers to someone coming into power or office, the opposite of being removed.)
Themes
politics
|history
|law
Definition
The act of taking a king, leader, or official out of power, usually by force or by law.
The formal or forceful removal of a ruler, leader, or official from their position of power or authority.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
3
Usage pattern:
the deposition of [material] in [a place]
The river’s slow flow encourages the deposition of sediment along its banks.
A folyó lassú folyása elősegíti a hordalék lerakódását a partjai mentén.
Calcium deposition in the arteries can lead to serious health problems.
Az artériákban kialakuló kalciumlerakódás súlyos egészségügyi problémákhoz vezethet.
Glaciers play an important role in both erosion and deposition of rocks.
Air pollution can result in the deposition of harmful chemicals on crops.
Researchers measured the rate of sand deposition on the seafloor.
Learner examples
The lake is getting shallower because of sand deposition.
A tó a homok lerakódása miatt egyre sekélyebb.
Ice and wind cause both erosion and deposition.
A jég és a szél egyaránt okoz eróziót és lerakódást.
Doctors found heavy metal deposition in the fish.
The map shows areas of soil deposition after the flood.
Rock layers show many years of deposition.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think "deposition" means a single pile of material, but in scientific English it usually refers to the process, not the object. The material itself is often called a "deposit."
Meaning
process of material being laid down
Collocations
sediment deposition
|river deposition
|mineral deposition
|fat deposition
|deposition of pollutants
|soil deposition
Synonyms
accumulation (Emphasizes the result (a build-up) rather than the process itself.)
|
precipitation (In chemistry, can describe substances coming out of solution; narrower than general physical deposition.)
Antonyms
erosion (Refers to the wearing away and removal of material, which directly opposes the adding of material by deposition.)
Themes
science
|environment
|geography
|nature
Definition
The process when sand, mud, chemicals, or other material are dropped and left in a new place, often slowly over time.
The process by which particles, sediments, chemicals, or other material settle out of a fluid or are laid down in a new location, often forming layers.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
4
Usage pattern:
deposition of [substance] on [surface]
Frost on a windowpane often forms through deposition rather than freezing liquid water.
Az ablaküvegen megjelenő dér gyakran deszublimációval keletkezik, nem pedig folyékony víz megfagyásával.
In the experiment, the deposition of iodine crystals on the cold surface was clearly visible.
A kísérletben jól látható volt, ahogy a jódgőz a hideg felületen kristályok formájában deszublimált.
Many manufacturing processes rely on controlled vapor deposition to create thin films.
Deposition occurs when water vapor in the air turns directly into ice on the ground.
The textbook illustrates deposition as the reverse of sublimation in the phase diagram.
Learner examples
Frost on the glass is an example of deposition.
Az üvegen megjelenő dér a deszublimáció egyik példája.
In deposition, a gas becomes a solid.
Deszublimáció során a gáz közvetlenül szilárd anyaggá válik.
Sublimation and deposition are opposite changes.
The teacher showed deposition using a simple science experiment.
Deposition can put a thin layer of metal on a surface.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this sense with general material build-up. In this scientific meaning, "deposition" is a specific phase change (gas to solid), not just any kind of settling or layering.
Meaning
gas changing directly into solid
Collocations
frost formation by deposition
|vapor deposition
|thin-film deposition
|deposition of ice crystals
|chemical vapor deposition
|physical vapor deposition
Synonyms
desublimation (A more technical term used mainly in physics texts; rarely used in everyday language.)
Antonyms
sublimation (The opposite phase change, where a solid turns directly into a gas.)
Themes
science
|physics
|chemistry
Definition
In science, the change when a gas turns straight into a solid, without becoming a liquid first.
In physics and chemistry, the phase transition in which a substance changes directly from a gas to a solid without passing through the liquid state.
NOUN
C2
LITERARY
5
Usage pattern:
the Deposition from the Cross
The museum’s most famous work is a Renaissance Deposition by an unknown master.
A múzeum leghíresebb műve egy ismeretlen mester reneszánsz Levétel a keresztről című alkotása.
In this painting of the Deposition, the artist focuses on the grief of Mary and the disciples.
Ezen a Krisztus levételét a keresztről ábrázoló festményen a művész Mária és a tanítványok gyászára összpontosít.
Scholars have traced the evolution of the Deposition theme in medieval religious art.
The sculptor carved a moving Deposition group for the cathedral’s main altar.
The Deposition is one of several key scenes from the Passion depicted in the chapel.
Learner examples
We saw a Deposition painting in the church.
A templomban láttunk egy Levétel a keresztről témájú festményt.
This artwork shows the Deposition from the Cross.
Ez a műalkotás Krisztus levételét a keresztről ábrázolja.
The Deposition is an important story in Christian art.
Many old churches have pictures of the Deposition.
The book has a chapter on the Deposition in medieval art.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize this capitalized form "Deposition" is a specific religious art term, not the general legal or scientific meanings. It usually appears with capital D and often as part of the phrase "Deposition from the Cross."
Meaning
removal of Christ from the Cross
Collocations
the Deposition from the Cross
|a Deposition painting
|Deposition scene
|Deposition panel
|Deposition sculpture
|Deposition group
Synonyms
Descent from the Cross (A near-equivalent phrase commonly used as a title for artworks showing the same biblical event.)
Themes
religion
|art
|history
|arts_entertainment
Definition
In Christian art and stories, the moment when people take Jesus’s body down from the cross after he dies.
In Christian art and literature, the scene or event in which Jesus Christ’s body is taken down from the cross after his crucifixion.
Grammar
Dictionary form
deposition
IPA
GB/dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
US/dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
de - pos - ition (3 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (ition)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: deposition
- Plural: deposition, depositions
Word family
Expressions
give a deposition
1/ɡˈɪv ə dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
provide sworn legal testimony
To answer questions under oath in a formal meeting, usually in a lawyer’s office, so that your words can be used later in court.
Examples
- She had to give a deposition before the trial could begin.
- The witness will give a deposition next week at the law firm.
- He refused to give a deposition, citing his right not to incriminate himself.
sworn deposition
1/swˈɔɹn dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
deposition given under oath
A formal statement that a person gives under oath, where it is a crime to lie.
Examples
- In her sworn deposition, she admitted that she had seen the accident.
- The jury heard parts of his sworn deposition during the trial.
take a deposition
1/tˈeɪk ə dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
question and record a witness
For a lawyer or official, to ask a person questions under oath and record their answers before a trial.
Examples
- The attorney will take a deposition from each of the key witnesses.
- We need to take a deposition of the doctor who treated the victim.
- Because of scheduling problems, the judge allowed the lawyers to take a video deposition.
the Deposition from the Cross
1/ðə dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən fɹˈʌm ðə kɹˈɔs/
fixed phrase
literary
art scene of Christ removed from Cross
The name for the moment in the Bible, and for artworks showing it, when Jesus’s body is taken down from the cross after he dies.
Examples
- Several paintings in the gallery show the Deposition from the Cross.
- Her research focuses on the Deposition from the Cross in Baroque art.
video deposition
1/vˈɪdioʊ dˌɛpəzˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
deposition recorded on video
A deposition that is filmed, so the court can later watch the person speaking.
Examples
- Because the witness was ill, the lawyers arranged a video deposition.
- The jury watched the video deposition instead of hearing the witness in person.