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dep·u·ty

(dĕpyə-tē)

n. pl. dep·u·ties

1. A person who is appointed or empowered to act for another.

2. An assistant exercising full authority in the absence of their superior and exercising equal authority in emergencies: a deputy to the sheriff.

3. A representative in a legislative body in certain countries.

[Middle English depute, from Old French, from past participle of deputer, to depute; see DEPUTE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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