depot

A depot is a facility used for storage, safekeeping, and distribution of goods, equipment, or vehicles. Depots are typically connected to transportation networks such as railways or roads and may function as warehouses, maintenance facilities, or transfer points. The word derives from the French dépôt, meaning deposit or storehouse.

Railway depots are maintenance and stabling facilities for locomotives and rolling stock, often including workshops, fuel points, and yards for organizing trains. Bus or tram depots house and service fleets, providing parking, refueling, cleaning, and minor repairs, sometimes with offices and passenger facilities nearby. Freight depots function as distribution hubs where goods are received, sorted, and dispatched, with loading docks and equipment to handle cargo. In military contexts, depots store weapons, ammunition, and equipment and may serve as supply points and logistical bases.

In pharmacology, the term depot can refer to a depot formulation or depot injection, a long-acting preparation that delivers a drug over an extended period rather than being released immediately. This use is common in long-acting injectable therapies.

The term is more common in British English, where it can denote various storage or maintenance sites; in American English, terms like warehouse, yard, or logistics center may be used more frequently, though depot remains understood and is used in certain sectors and regions. See also warehouses, distribution centers, rail yards, engine sheds, and depot (pharmacology).