point of departure
- noun
- /pɔɪnt əv dɪˈpɑːrtʃər/
:
punto de partida
- A useful point of departure in this analysis is to start by examining the extent to which the state is able to implement its development goals.
Examples
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This scarcity provides the point of departure for the present research.
Academic text (1997) -
In Belgium, the plan Charlier, named after the chief of staff who formulated it, functioned as the point of departure for restructuring and downsizing the armed forces.
Academic text (1997) -
These mechanisms provide a point of departure from which I will approach the Israeli discourses of bereavement.
Academic text (1997) -
Our point of departure is the group in the middle, those with a measured IQ somewhere from 90 through 109, whom we labeled normal.
Academic text (1997) -
The centenary provides a valuable opportunity to explore the art of Benin, taking 1897 as a point of departure rather than a terminus.
Academic text (1997) -
Case's definition speaks to radical feminism as a social construct and serves as an important point of departure for analyzing Falcon's theater.
Academic text (1997) -
The great majority of Marxists who address the problem of proletarian culture approach it on a purely ideological level, or at the very least take ideology as the point of departure for their investigations.
Academic text (1997) -
This observation will serve as a point of departure for looking at Diktonius's early years in terms of a retrospective in which he takes stock of the 1920s, a decade that corresponds to a large part of his own twenties.
Academic text (1997) -
Our meeting will serve as a point of departure for discussing the new project plans.
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The museum's exhibit provides a point of departure for exploring the history of ancient cultures.
Synonyms
228
2.7
The place where something begins, for example a country
69
3.0
A place, time, or situation that people use as a basis for later action
7
4.2
A place, idea, or situation where new action begins
1
6.3
A place where someone starts a journey, project, or activity
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'point' (a specific position or stage) with 'departure' (the act of leaving), so the sense 'starting point' is directly derivable from the constituents with 'of' just linking them. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically (e.g. French 'point de départ', Spanish 'punto de partida'), so a B1 learner who knows the words will very likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase point of departure comes from travel: a ship or train begins its journey at one point, and departure means leaving that place. So the phrase now means the place where a journey or process begins, the 'starting point'.