depute
verb /dɪˈpjuːt 
/ [with object and infinitive]
/ [with object and infinitive]1Appoint or instruct (someone) to perform a task for which one is responsible: she was deputed to look after him while Clare was away...
- It so happened that I had fallen sick, and therefore I deputed him to some places to perform ceremonies.
- On his tours of England, one Australian official was exclusively deputed to answer his letters.
- All that the parents have to do is approach the organizers, who depute an experienced person to act as the ‘manager’ for the party.
Synonyms
appoint, designate, nominate, assign, commission, charge, choose, select, elect, co-opt;
empower, authorize, mandate;
Military detail
1.1 [with object] Delegate (authority or a task).I begged him to publish his discovery, but he preferred to depute the task to me....
- "I shall depute the task to a worthy fellow named Willis, in whom I shall have every confidence."
- So a simple mode to acquire around this is to depute the task to somebody who is skilled in it.
Synonyms
delegate, transfer, turn over, hand over, hand on, pass on, consign, assign, entrust, give, devolve
noun /ˈdɛpjuːt / Scottish
/ ScottishA person appointed to act in an official capacity or as a representative of another official: [as modifier]: a depute chairman...
- A former depute procurator fiscal, welcomed news that ministers had ‘learned the lesson'.
- Appointed depute clerk in 1996, she remained in Stromness until 1998, when her current duties became full time.
- Principal deputes in the High Court can only keep pace with their workload by using the time spent on the daily train journey to and from work to attend to papers.
Origin
Late Middle English: via Old French from Latin deputare 'consider to be, assign', from de- 'away' + putare 'consider'.