point of departure

noun

1. Nautical. the precise location of a vessel, established in order to set a course, especially in beginning a voyage in open water.
2. a place to begin, as in a discussion, argument, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of point of departure¹

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Central to the fall in crossings to Italy are financial deals struck with Tunisia and Libya – migrants’ main points of departure.

From BBC

“I want this to be a point of departure for both me and the viewer,” she said.

From Seattle Times

This comes back to Brooks’s original point of departure: the act of decomposing, or a whale fall.

From New York Times

In January, a 737 Max 9 was forced to return to its point of departure in Portland, Oregon, making an emergency landing after a door panel blew out in mid-air.

From BBC

But Garrone is concerned with something that often escapes the headlines and statistics: the on-the-ground atrocities migrants endure to even reach that point of departure, including the traversing of a desert.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• birth
• creation
• dawn
• inauguration
• inception
• introduction
• onset
• opening
• outset
• starting point
• top