| 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. |
| point of departure | |
noun | |
| 1. | a place from which an enterprise or expedition is launched; "one day when I was at a suitable jumping-off place I decided to see if I could find him"; "my point of departure was San Francisco" [syn: jumping-off place] |
| 2. | a beginning from which an enterprise is launched; "he uses other people's ideas as a springboard for his own"; "reality provides the jumping-off point for his illusions"; "the point of departure of international comparison cannot be an institution but must be the function it carries out" [syn: springboard] |
