(Grammar)(of a verb, especially in Latin or Greek) passive or middle in form but active in meaning (语法)(尤指拉丁语和希腊语中的动词)异相的
noun
(Grammar)a deponent verb (语法)异相动词
(Law)a person who makes a deposition or affidavit under oath (律)立誓词者, 宣誓作证者
语源
late Middle English: from Latin deponent- 'laying aside, putting down' (in medieval Latin 'testifying'), from the verb deponere, from de- 'down' + ponere 'place'. The use in grammar arose from the notion that the verb had ‘laid aside’ the passive sense (although in fact these verbs were originally reflexive)