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From http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/deposition

Deposition testimony is taken orally, with an attorney asking questions and the deponent (the individual being questioned) answering while a court reporter or tape recorder (or sometimes both) records the testimony.

Deposition testimony is generally taken under oath, and the court reporter and the deponent often sign affidavits attesting to the accuracy of the subsequent printed transcript.

From http://www.expertlaw.com/library/expert_witness/deposition_prep.html

A deposition is a question-and-answer session that takes place in an attorney’s office. Usually present are the attorneys for the parties, the parties themselves, and a court reporter. The answers you give at a deposition are testimony. The court reporter swears you in and you answer the questions under oath. It is no different from you testifying in court.

From http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=495

deposition

n. the taking and recording of testimony of a witness under oath before a court reporter in a place away from the courtroom before trial. A deposition is part of permitted pre-trial discovery (investigation), set up by an attorney for one of the parties to a lawsuit demanding the sworn testimony of the opposing party (defendant or plaintiff), a witness to an event, or an expert intended to be called at trial by the opposition. If the person requested to testify (deponent) is a party to the lawsuit or someone who works for an involved party, notice of time and place of the deposition can be given to the other side's attorney, but if the witness is an independent third party, a subpena must be served on him/her if he/she is reluctant to testify. The testimony is taken down by the court reporter, who will prepare a transcript if requested and paid for, which assists in trial preparation and can be used in trial either to contradict (impeach) or refresh the memory of the witness, or be read into the record if the witness is not available.