depart

Etymology

From Old French departir, from Late Latin departiō (“to divide”), from dē- (“away from”) + partiō (“part, divide”).

verb

1. (intransitive) To leave.
   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." 7 September 2009, George Monbiot, The Guardian
2. (intransitive) To set out on a journey.
3. (intransitive, euphemistic) To die.
   And, as the Cock crew, those who stood before The Tavern shouted — "Open then the Door! You know how little while we have to stay, And, once departed, may return no more." 1859, Edward Fitzgerald, The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám: The Astronomer-Poet of Persia, page 1
4. (intransitive, figurative) To disappear, vanish; to cease to exist.
   For youth departs, and pleasure flies, And life consumes away, 1846, Charlotte Brontë, “The Teacher’s Monologue”, in Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell
5. (intransitive) To deviate (from), be different (from), fail to conform.
   His latest statements seemed to depart from party policy somewhat.
   to depart from a title or defence in legal pleading
   1788, James Madison, “Number 39,” in Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison, The Federalist, On the New Constitution, Philadelphia: Benjamin Warner, 1818, p. 204, If the plan of the convention, therefore, be found to depart from the republican character, its advocates must abandon it as no longer defensible.
   … he compared the precise points at which the handwriting of the letter departed from examples of Freda Flower’s handwriting and coincided with examples of Patrick Seton’s … 1960, Muriel Spark, chapter 12, in The Bachelors, Philadelphia: Lippincott, published 1961, page 201
   The interior colour scheme departs from the conventional L.T. red and green upholstery and matching paintwork, which has been replaced by a maroon and grey moquette with dove grey paint below the waist rail. 1960 February, “The first of London's new Piccadilly Line trains is delivered”, in Trains Illustrated, page 94
6. (transitive) To go away from; to leave.
   … he … did pray them only to do no thing against the honor of God, & rather to depart the territories of his empire, then to suffer their consciences to be forced. 1589, John Eliot, transl., Aduise giuen by a Catholike gentleman, to the nobilitie & commons of France, London: John Wolfe, page 27
   At one stage, when I happened to depart the room in the midst of an address by one of the German gentlemen, M. Dupont suddenly rose and followed me out. 1989, Kazuo Ishiguro, “Day Two: Morning”, in The Remains of the Day, Vintage Canada, published 2014
   She felt what Mrs Maja Picotti had suspected in her prayers, that her soul had departed her body. 1997, Richard Flanagan, chapter 64, in The Sound of One Hand Clapping, New York: Grove, published 2001, page 323
   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. 2009, The Guardian, Sport Blog, 9 September
7. (obsolete, transitive) To divide up; to distribute, share.
   Then fortified hee his trenches, and departed them in foure quarters, wherein he made good store of fires, in such distance one from another, as are woont to be made in a campe. 1595, Jacques Hurault, translated by Arthur Golding, Politicke, Moral, and Martial Discourses, London: Adam Islip, Book 3, Chapter 17, p. 458
   Fyrst on that day yee shall serue a calfe sodden and blessed, and sodden egs with greene sauce, and set them before the most principall estate, and that Lorde because of his high estate, shal depart them al about him … 1597, Thomas Dawson, The Second part of the good Hus-wiues Iewell, London: Edward White
   That Deacons be not preferred before Priests, nor sit in their ranke, nor in their presence do distribute the Sacraments but only minister vnto them, and assist when they do distribute: but when there are no Priests there, in that case they may depart them. 1602, “Extract out of the Acts of the Councell of Nice”, in Patrick Simon, transl., The Estate of the Church with the Discourse of Times, from the Apostles untill This Present, London: Thomas Creede, page 102
8. (obsolete, transitive) To separate, part.
   Thies be than the causes … for the whiche we depart our selues from the Athenyans … 1550, Thomas Nicholls, transl., The Hystory Writtone by Thucidides the Athenyan, London, Book 3, Chapter 2, p. 74
   1582, Stephen Batman (translator), Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, London: Thomas East, Book 5, Chapter 26, “Of the shoulders,” The twisted forkes [i.e. fork-shaped bones] be néedfull to binde the shoulders, and to depart them from the breast.
   Great is the affinitie of soule and body, neerely coupled and wedded by God, like Husband & Wife, for better and worse till death depart them. 1617, Thomas Taylor, Dauids Learning, London: Henry Fetherstone, Dedicatory epistle

noun

1. (obsolete) Division; separation, as of compound substances.
2. (obsolete) A going away; departure.
   Of that short Roll of friends writ in my heart Which with thy name begins, since their depart, Whether in the English Provinces they be, 1633, John Donne, “To M. I. L.”, in Poems, London: John Marriot, page 101