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Origin and history of depository

depository(n.)

"place where things are lodged for safe-keeping," 1750, from Medieval Latin depositorium, from deposit-, past-participle stem of Latin deponere (see deposit (v.)) + -orium (see -ory).

also from 1750

Entries linking to depository

deposit(v.)

1620s, "place in the hands of another as a pledge for a contract," from Latin depositus, past participle of deponere "lay aside, put down, deposit," also used of births and bets, from de "away" (see de-) + ponere "to put, place" (past participle positus; see position (n.)). From 1650s as "lay away for safe-keeping;" from 1749 as "lay down, place, put." Related: Deposited; depositing.

-ory

adjective and noun suffix, "having to do with, characterized by, tending to, place for," from Middle English -orie, from Old North French -ory, -orie (Old French -oir, -oire), from Latin -orius, -oria, -orium.

Latin adjectives in -orius, according to "An Etymological Dictionary of the French Language," tended to "indicate a quality proper to the action accomplished by the agent; as oratorius from orator; laudatorius from laudator. The neuter of these adjectives was early employed as a substantive, and usually denoted the place of residence of the agent or the instrument that he uses; as praetorium from praetor; dormitorium from dormitor; auditorium, dolatorium.

"These newer words, already frequent under the Empire, became exceedingly numerous at a later time, especially in ecclesiastical and scholastic Latin; as purgatorium, refectorium, laboratorium, observatorium, &c." [transl. G.W. Kitchin, Oxford, 1878]

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    repository
    late 15c. (Caxton), "vessel, etc., for storage," from French repositoire or directly from Late Latin repositorium "store," in classical Latin, "a stand on which food is placed," from noun use of repositus, past participle of reponere "put away, store" (see repose (v.2)). The figu
    depot
    1795, "warehouse or storehouse for receiving goods for storage, sale, or transfer," from French dépôt "a deposit, place of deposit," from Old French depost "a deposit or pledge," from Latin depositum "a deposit," noun use of neuter past participle of deponere "lay aside, put down
    prod
    1530s, "to poke with a stick," of uncertain origin; possibly [Barnhart, Century Dictionary] a variant of brod, from Middle English brodden "to goad," from Old Norse broddr "shaft, spike" (see brad), or perhaps imitative [OED]. Compare dialectal prog "pointed instrument for poking
    drop
    Middle English drope, from Old English dropa "a small, spherical mass of liquid," from Proto-Germanic *drupon (source also of Old Saxon dropo, Old Norse dropi, Dutch drop, Old High German tropfo, German Tropfen (n.)); see drop (v.). Sense of "minute quantity of anything, least po
    museum
    1610s, "the university building in Alexandria," from Latin museum "library, study," from Greek mouseion "place of study, library or museum, school of art or poetry," originally "a temple or shrine of the Muses," from Mousa "Muse" (see muse (n.)). The earliest use in reference to
    library
    place for books, late 14c., from Anglo-French librarie, Old French librairie, librarie "collection of books; bookseller's shop" (14c.), from Latin librarium "book-case, chest for books," and libraria "a bookseller's shop," in Medieval Latin "a library," noun uses of the neuter an
    store
    mid-13c., storen, "to supply or stock" (a town, castle, etc.) with supplies, including food, from Old French estorer "provide, furnish; erect, construct, build; restore, repair; furnish, equip, provision," from Latin instaurare "to set up, establish; renew, restore," in Medieval
    repertory
    1550s, "an index, list, catalogue," from Late Latin repertorium "inventory, list," from Latin repertus, past participle of reperire "to find, get, invent," from re-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see re-), + parire, archaic form of paerere "produce, bring forth" (from PIE roo
    facility
    early 15c., "gentleness, lightness," from Old French facilité "easiness, ease," from Latin facilitatem (nominative facilitas) "easiness, ease, fluency, willingness," from facilis "easy to do," from facere "to do" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). First in a medical book: If i
    bank
    "financial institution," late 15c., originally "money-dealer's counter or shop," from Old Italian banca and also from French banque (itself from the Italian word), both meaning "table," from a Germanic source (such as Old High German bank "bench, moneylender's table"), from Proto

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