Meaning & use
depositories
Last updated
“depositories” is a form of “depository”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Places or organizations where things are stored and kept safe, especially valuable documents or goods.
Grammar: This is the plural of 'depository'; use it with plural verbs, as in 'the depositories hold...'.
Patterns
- a depository for something
- depositories of information
The city's museums act as depositories for thousands of historical records.
Several depositories around the country store copies of important legal papers.
nouncountablefinance
Financial institutions that hold securities, funds, or assets for customers and handle transfers between them.
Grammar: Common in finance writing; often used in the plural when talking about the system as a whole.
Patterns
- securities depositories
- depositories hold assets
Central depositories settle trades between banks and keep electronic records of ownership.
Investors should know which depositories hold their shares.
nouncountable
Buildings or rooms used for keeping a supply of something until it is needed.
Grammar: Usually followed by 'for' or 'of' to name what is stored.
Patterns
- a depository for goods
- depositories of grain
The old warehouse served as a depository for grain during the winter.
New depositories were built near the port to hold imported goods.
Word forms
| singular | depository |
|---|
Common combinations
- securities depository
- The securities depository records every change of ownership electronically.
- central depository
- A central depository reduces the paperwork involved in trading shares.
- depository for documents
- The archive is a depository for documents going back two centuries.
- depository institution
- Banks and similar depository institutions accept money from the public.
- act as a depository
- The library acts as a depository for government publications.
Synonyms and how they differ
- repository
- Very close in meaning, but it often suggests a place where knowledge or data is kept, while 'depository' is more common for money, goods, or official records.
- warehouse
- A large building for storing goods; it is a physical place only, whereas a depository can also be an organization.
- archive
- A collection of historical records; narrower than 'depository', which can hold many kinds of things.
Word family
- depository noun
- The singular form: one place or organization that stores things.
- deposit verb
- To put money or something valuable somewhere for safekeeping.
- deposit noun
- Money placed in a bank, or a layer of material that builds up.
- depositor noun
- A person who puts money into a bank account.
Commonly confused: depositories or depositary? depositories or depositories?
depositories vs depositary
'Depositary' is a person or company that receives something in trust, often in legal or financial contexts; 'depository' is the place or institution where things are stored.
depositories vs depositories
Remember this is simply the plural of 'depository'; do not confuse it with 'deposits', which are sums of money or layers of material.
Practice
Banks and other ___ institutions must follow strict rules about keeping customers' money safe.
Choose one answer.
'Depository institution' is the standard phrase for a bank or similar organization that holds funds. 'Deposit' is money or a verb, 'depositor' is a person, and 'deposition' means formal testimony or the laying down of material.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “depositories”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.