Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To appoint or authorize as an agent or representative.
  • transitive verb To assign (authority or duties) to another; delegate.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To appoint as a substitute or agent; appoint and send with a special commission or authority to act in the name of a principal.
  • To set aside or apart; assign.
  • To assign to a deputy; transfer: as, he deputed his authority to a substitute.
  • To impute.
  • noun A deputy: as, a sheriff depute or an advocate depute.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To appoint as deputy or agent; to commission to act in one's place; to delegate.
  • transitive verb rare To appoint; to assign; to choose.
  • noun Scot. A person deputed; a deputy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb obsolete To assign (someone or something) to or for something.
  • verb To delegate (a task etc.) to a subordinate.
  • verb To deputize (someone), to appoint as deputy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)
  • verb appoint as a substitute
  • verb transfer power to someone

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English deputen, from Old French deputer, from Late Latin dēputāre, to allot, from Latin, to consider : dē-, de- + putāre, to ponder; see pau- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French députer, from Latin deputo.

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Examples

  • Previously, concerns had been raised that the best teachers were quickly promoted to posts such as depute head, which took them away from pupils.

    unknown title 2009

  • Such should be sedulously cherished, and it were well to depute this to their men-folk, the nearer of kin the better.

    CHAPTER 20 2010

  • Fiscal depute Elaine Lynch said: “The accused got to his feet and was standing over the police officer exposing his penis and thrusting it in her face, forcing her to take evasive action to avoid getting struck.”

    Aberrations from cyberspace « Anglican Samizdat 2010

  • Referring to Edinburgh's decision, Graeme Kirkpatrick, the union's depute president, said: A £36,000 degree is both staggering and ridiculous.

    Edinburgh University to charge £36,000 a degree 2011

  • Can I depute all the communication that there is? posted by Deron Bauman in found, internet, language | * | comment

    welcome, dear reader | clusterflock 2008

  • It is the novelist's innate cowardice that makes him depute to imaginary personalities the sins that he is too cautious to commit for himself.

    Where's the show? John Myles Aavedal 2010

  • Princes, who can depute other hands to do their less savoury work for them, commonly escape all temporary judgements, but not the last.

    His Disposition 2010

  • "It is not contested by the Crown that she suffers from glaucoma and Crohn's disease, and it would appear that through her dissatisfaction with conventional treatments, she began to cultivate cannabis at her home," explained depute procurator fiscal Alasdair Fay.

    More Drug Law Madness 2009

  • "It is not contested by the Crown that she suffers from glaucoma and Crohn's disease, and it would appear that through her dissatisfaction with conventional treatments, she began to cultivate cannabis at her home," explained depute procurator fiscal Alasdair Fay.

    John Terry’s sacking as England captain tells us something interesting... 2009

  • "It is not contested by the Crown that she suffers from glaucoma and Crohn's disease, and it would appear that through her dissatisfaction with conventional treatments, she began to cultivate cannabis at her home," explained depute procurator fiscal Alasdair Fay.

    John Terry’s sacking as England captain tells us something interesting... 2009

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