Depositary

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or organization that receives and holds something valuable or important in trust for its owner
2. An individual or entity appointed to keep possession of an object or asset on behalf of another party
3. Someone or something designated to receive and preserve property or documents for safekeeping until claimed by the rightful owner

Etymology: "Depositary" entered English from Late Latin "dēpositārius," a noun meaning a person entrusted with something for safekeeping. The Latin word was built from "dēpositum," the neuter past participle of "dēpōnere," meaning to put down or set aside, which in turn combined "dē-," meaning down or away, with "pōnere," to place. The same root gives English "deposit," "deposition" and "depot," so the depositary is essentially the one who holds what has been put down. The sense of a trusted holder of valuables was the original core of the Latin word, and it has stayed closely tied to the idea of a guardian of something placed in trust. That legal and custodial meaning is what English speakers meet most often today, whether in discussions of a person or institution appointed to hold assets, documents or securities on someone else's behalf.

Synonyms: depository, trustee, custodian, repository