Word Origin & History
depart
c.1225, from O.Fr. departir, from L.L. departire "divide" (transitive), from de- "from" + partire "to part, divide," from pars (gen. partis) "a part." As a euphemism for "to die" (to depart this life) it is attested from 1501. Fr. department meant "group of people" (as well as "departure"), from which Eng. borrowed sense of "separate division" (c.1735) found in department store (1847). Transitive in Eng. lingers in some senses; the wedding service was till death us depart until 1662.