deposit: Meaning and Definition of

de•pos•it

Pronunciation: (di-poz'it), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to place for safekeeping or in trust, esp. in a bank account: He deposited his paycheck every Friday.
  2. to give as security or in part payment.
  3. to deliver and leave (an item): Please deposit your returned books with the librarian.
  4. to insert (a coin) in a coin-operated device: Deposit a quarter and push the button.
  5. to put, place, or set down, esp. carefully or exactly: She deposited the baby in the crib.
  6. to lay or throw down by a natural process; precipitate: The river deposited soil at its mouth.
—v.i.
  1. to be placed, inserted, precipitated, left for safekeeping, given as security or in partial payment, etc.
—n.
  1. money placed in a bank account or an instance of placing money in a bank account.
  2. anything given as security or in part payment: The boy returned the bottle and got his five-cent deposit back. They made a deposit on the house and signed a ten-year mortgage.
  3. anything laid away or entrusted to another for safekeeping: A large deposit of jewels was stolen from the hotel safe.
  4. a place for safekeeping; depository.
  5. something precipitated, delivered and left, or thrown down, as by a natural process: a deposit of soil.
  6. the natural sediment of wine in a bottle.
  7. a coating of metal deposited on something, usually by an electric current.
  8. a natural accumulation or occurrence, esp. of oil or ore: a mountain range with many rich deposits of gold.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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