adj. & n.
--adj. Gram. (of a verb, esp. in Latin or Greek) passive or middle in form but active in meaning.
--n.
1. Gram. a deponent verb.
2 Law a a person making a deposition under oath. b a witness giving written testimony for use in court etc.
Etymology: L deponere (as DE-, ponere posit- place): adj. from the notion that the verb had laid aside the passive sense