hinterlegten

Hinterlegen is a German verb meaning to deposit or to leave something in safekeeping with a person or institution, often to serve as security, proof, or evidence. It is commonly used in financial, legal, and administrative contexts to describe placing money, documents, or other assets with a third party such as a bank, notary, or court. The simple past tense form hinterlegten is used with plural subjects or in narrative past (for example, Wir hinterlegten das Geld, Die Parteien hinterlegten die Urkunden). The past participle is hinterlegt, which combines with haben to form the perfect tense (Wir haben das Geld hinterlegt).

Legal and procedural usage often centers on the act of depositing assets as security or as part of a formal process. Hinterlegung can refer to the physical deposit itself or to the mechanism by which rights or claims are secured. In German civil procedure and contract practice, hinterlegen may be specified in agreements or court orders, and the term Vordergrund is the related noun form Hinterlegung, describing the act of depositing or the deposited item (for example, Sicherheitsleistungen bereitstellen or eine Urkunde hinterlegen).

Etymology and scope: the verb is formed from hinter (behind, in safekeeping) and legen (to place), conveying the sense of placing something with another party for safekeeping or as collateral. It is distinct from similar verbs such as deponieren, ablegen, or hinterbringen, though they can be contextually related in the sense of temporary transfer or storage.

See also: Hinterlegung (the act or result of depositing), Sicherheitsleistung (security deposit), Deponierung (depo­sition of assets), Notarwesen (notary practice).