depôt

Dépôt is a French noun with several related senses centered on storage, custody, or keeping. It can denote a physical place used to store goods, materials, or vehicles, such as a warehouse, a railway depot, or a storeroom. It also refers to the act of placing something somewhere for safekeeping, i.e., a deposit. In finance and everyday language, a dépôt can denote money placed in a bank, a bank deposit.

Etymology: The word derives from Old French dépôt, from Latin depositum meaning something laid down, from deponere “to put down.” In modern French the term is written with a circumflex on the o and an accent on the first e.

Usage and contexts: The term appears in many compounds and phrases. In transportation, dépôt designates a building or yard where vehicles are stored or maintained, for example dépôt de trains or dépôt routier. In military or administrative contexts, it can refer to a storage facility for weapons and supplies, or a central repository for records. The concept of dépôt légal requires publishers to deposit copies of works in a national library or archives. In real estate and tenancy, dépôt de garantie is a security deposit paid to cover potential damages. Dépôt-vente describes a consignment shop where goods are deposited for sale. In banking, dépôt denotes money placed in a bank account.

English usage: In English, the equivalent terms are depot for a storage or transit facility and deposit for money, with dépôt generally translated according to context.