depart

Etymology

From Old French departir, from Late Latin departiō (“to divide”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈpɑːt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈpɑɹt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)t

Verb

depart (third-person singular simple present departs, present participle departing, simple past and past participle departed)

1. (intransitive) To leave.
   • Bible, 1 Sam. iv. 2:

     The glory is departed from Israel.

   • Shakespeare

     He which hath no stomach to this fight, / Let him depart.

   • 2009, George Monbiot, The Guardian, 7 September:

     The government maintains that if its regulations are too stiff, British bankers will leave the country. It's true that they have been threatening to depart in droves, but the obvious answer is: "Sod off then."

2. (intransitive) To set out on a journey.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter xviij, in Le Morte Darthur, book VII:

     And soo she receyued hym vpon suffysaunt seurte / so alle her hurtes were wel restored of al that she coude complayne / and thenne he departed vnto the Courte of kyne Arthur / and there openly the reed knyghte of the reed laundes putte hym in the mercy of syre Launcelot and syr Gawayne

3. (intransitive) To die.
   • Bible, Luke ii. 29:

     Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.

4. (intransitive) To deviate (from).

   His latest statements seemed to depart from party policy somewhat.

   to depart from a title or defence in legal pleading

   • Madison

     if the plan of the convention be found to depart from republican principles

5. (transitive, now rare) To go away from; to leave.
   • 2009, The Guardian, Sport Blog, 9 September:

     The build-up to Saturday's visit of Macedonia and this encounter with the Dutch could be construed as odd in the sense that there seemed a basic acceptance, inevitability even, that Burley would depart office in their immediate aftermath.

6. (obsolete, transitive) To divide up; to distribute, share.
   • 1485 July 31, Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book VII, [London: William Caxton], OCLC 71490786; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur, London: Published by David Nutt, in the Strand, 1889, OCLC 890162034:
     :

     and so all the worlde seythe that betwyxte three knyghtes is departed clerely knyghthode, that is Sir Launcelot du Lake, Sir Trystrams de Lyones and Sir Lamerok de Galys—thes bere now the renowne.

7. (obsolete, transitive) To separate, part.
   • 1485 July 31, Thomas Malory, “(please specify the chapter)”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book IV, [London: William Caxton], OCLC 71490786; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur, London: Published by David Nutt, in the Strand, 1889, OCLC 890162034:
     :

     Syr knyght[,] said the two squyers that were with her[,] yonder are two knyghtes that fyghte for thys lady, goo thyder and departe them […].

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Noun

depart

1. (obsolete) division; separation, as of compound substances
   • Francis Bacon

     The chymists have a liquor called water of depart.

2. (obsolete) A going away; departure.
   • Shakespeare

     At my depart for France.

Anagrams

• drapet, parted, petard, prated, rapted, tarped, traped