startplaats

Startplaats is a Dutch noun that denotes the place where something begins. It refers to the origin or point of departure of a person, object, or process and is used across domains to indicate where an activity starts, where a journey is measured from, or where an event initiates.

Etymology and nuance: The term is a compound of start and plaats. It is related to startpunt and startpositie, but the terms are not always interchangeable. Startplaats often emphasizes a physical location, while startpunt stresses the moment of origin and startpositie the position in a sequence or arrangement.

Contexts and usage: In sports and events, the startplaats is the designated location where participants begin; in multi-stage races there may be several startplaatsen. In logistics and shipping, the startplaats is the origin address or warehouse from which goods are dispatched. In mapping and navigation, the startplaats can refer to the origin coordinate used to plan a route. In research or fieldwork, it may indicate the initial site of data collection or exploration.

Notes: The term is common in everyday Dutch and in technical descriptions, but preferences for startplaats, startpunt, or beginpunt vary by context. When precision is required, choose the term that best matches whether the emphasis is on location (startplaats), moment (startpunt), or order in a sequence (startpositie). See also beginpunt, startpunt, startpositie, lokaal.