DEPOSITION, noun

1. The act of laying or throwing down; as, soil is formed by the deposition of fine particles, during a flood.

2. That which is thrown down; that which is lodged; as, banks are sometimes depositions of alluvial matter.

3. The act of giving testimony under oath.

4. The attested written testimony of a witness; an affidavit.

5. The act of dethroning a king, or the degrading of a person from an office or station; a divesting of sovereignty, or of office and dignity; a depriving of clerical orders. A deposition differs from abdication; an abdication being voluntary, and a deposition compulsory.