A παρακαταθήκη is something deposited with another for safekeeping—money, property, or even persons. Banking deposits and temple treasuries used this term. The obligations were serious: to withhold a deposit was ἀποστερῆσαι (to defraud), while to restore it was ἀποδιδόναι. Children entrusted to guardians and wards of the state were called παρακαταθῆκαι, extending the concept to persons under protective care. The word emphasizes fiduciary responsibility and sacred trust.