Depeche
/dəˈpɛʃ/noun
A dispatch or message, especially in historical or French-influenced usage; also used as a proper name.
Did you know?Depeche Mode took its name from the French fashion magazine Dépêche Mode, whose title combines dépêche, “dispatch,” with mode, “fashion.”
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
*dispactiare
“To disentangle, release, or deal with promptly; a reconstructed source associated with the later French verb.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
despeechier
“To release, rid oneself of, hasten, or send away.”
14th Century
Middle French
despeschier
“To dispatch, hasten, or send off.”
16th Century
French
dépêcher
“To send or deal with quickly; to hurry.”
17th Century
French
dépêche
“A message or dispatch, especially an official communication.”
Modern English
English
depeche
“An English historical or loanword form meaning dispatch, also preserved prominently in the proper name Depeche Mode.”
Explore more surprising origins