repository

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈpɒz.ɪ.t(ə.)ɹɪ/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈpɑ.zɪˌtɔɹ.i/

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English reposytorye, from Latin repositōrium. By surface analysis, reposit +‎ -ory.

Noun

repository (plural repositories)

1. A location for storage, often for safety or preservation.

   Synonym: See storehouse

   • 1982 February 13, “Statuary Limitations”, in Gay Community News, volume 9, number 29, page 2:

     Harvard has declined to become the repository of George Segal's controversial sculpture, "Gay Liberation."

   1. (archiving, computing) A storage location for files, such as downloadable software packages, or files in a source control system.

      Synonym: archive

      Hyponyms: content repository, e-repository, data warehouse

      • 2025 April 1, Thomas Claburn, “Genetic data repo OpenSNP to self-destruct before authoritarians weaponize it”, in The Register‎^[1]:

        OpenSNP, a fourteen-year-old open source repository for genetic records, will shut down and delete all its data at the end of April.

      • 2025 April 2, Bill Toulas, “Genetic data site openSNP to close and delete data over privacy concerns”, in BleepingComputer‎^[2]:

        Over the years, openSNP became one of the largest repositories of its kind, used in research, education, and even community-led investigations like debunking flawed CFS genetic studies.

   2. A burial vault.

      Hyponym: deep geological repository

   3. (figurative) A person to whom a secret is entrusted.
   4. (dated) A place where things are stored for sale; a shop.

Derived terms

• biorepository
• content repository
• cryorepository
• deep geological repository
• e-repository
• multirepository
• repo
• subrepository

Related terms

• deposit
• posit
• reposit

Translations

a location for storage, often for safety or preservation

• Arabic: مَخْزَن m (maḵzan)

  Moroccan Arabic: خزنة (ḵazna)

• Armenian: պահեստ (hy) (pahest), շտեմարան (hy) (štemaran)
• Bulgarian: склад (bg) m (sklad), хранилище (bg) n (hranilište)
• Catalan: dipòsit (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 倉庫 / 仓库 (zh) (cāngkù)

• Czech: úložiště n
• Dutch: opslagplaats (nl) c, depot (nl) n, opslagruimte (nl) c
• Esperanto: deponejo
• Finnish: säilytyspaikka (fi), säilö (fi)
• French: chambre-forte f, coffre-fort (fr) m, repositoire (fr) m
• Georgian: საცავი (sacavi)
• German: Ablage (de) f, Depot (de) n, Archiv (de) n
• Greek: αποθήκη (el) f (apothíki), (software source) αποθετήριο (el) n (apothetírio)

  Ancient Greek: ἀποθήκη f (apothḗkē)

• Hungarian: tár (hu), adattár (hu), gyűjtemény (hu), archívum (hu), lerakat (hu), raktár (hu), tárház (hu), tároló (hu), megőrző (hu)
• Italian: ripostiglio (it), ricettacolo (it)
• Japanese: 倉庫 (ja) (そうこ, sōko)
• Latin: receptāculum n, apothēca f
• Macedonian: склад m (sklad), скла́диште n (skládište), храни́лиште n (hranílište) (archaic), стова́риште n (stovárište)
• Persian: مخزن (fa) (maxzan)
• Polish: składnica (pl) f, magazyn (pl) m, skład (pl) m, przechowalnia (pl) f, repozytorium (pl) n
• Portuguese: repositório (pt) m
• Russian: храни́лище (ru) n (xranílišče), склад (ru) m (sklad), вмести́лище (ru) n (vmestílišče)
• Spanish: repositorio (es) m
• Swedish: lager (sv)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: انبار (anbar), مخزن (mahzen)

• Ukrainian: сховище n (sxovyšče)

storage location for computer files

• Armenian: շտեմարան (hy) (štemaran)
• Bulgarian: хранилище (bg) n (hranilište)
• Catalan: repositori m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 庫 / 库 (zh) (kù), 倉 / 仓 (zh) (cāng), 倉庫 / 仓库 (zh) (cāngkù)

• Czech: úložiště n
• Finnish: varasto (fi)
• French: dépôt (fr) m, référentiel (fr) m, répertoire (fr) m
• Greek: αποθετήριο (el) n (apothetírio)
• Polish: repozytorium (pl) n
• Russian: репозито́рий (ru) m (repozitórij),
• Spanish: repositorio (es) m
• Swedish: repositorium (sv) n

a burial vault

• Bulgarian: гробница (bg) f (grobnica)
• Dutch: grafkelder (nl) c
• Finnish: hautaholvi
• French: tombeau (fr) m, mausolée (fr) m
• Italian: sepolcro (it), tomba (it), mausoleo (it), cripta (it)
• Macedonian: гро́бница f (gróbnica)
• Polish: grobowiec (pl) m
• Russian: склеп (ru) m (sklep)

a person to whom a secret is entrusted

• Armenian: վստահելի անձ (vstaheli anj)
• Bulgarian: довереник (bg) m (doverenik), довереница f (doverenica), довереничка f (doverenička)
• Catalan: dipositari m
• Dutch: vertrouweling (nl) c
• Finnish: luottohenkilö
• French: dépositaire (fr) m
• Greek: μυστικοσύμβουλος (el) m (mystikosýmvoulos)
• Italian: depositario (it), confidente (it)
• Māori: pūkenga
• Polish: powiernik (pl) m, powierniczka (pl) f
• Russian: дове́ренное лицо́ n (dovérennoje licó)
• Spanish: depositario (es) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} hoidla, ^{(please verify)} varamu
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} stovariste, ^{(please verify)} spremiste, ^{(please verify)} skloniste, ^{(please verify)} nosilac (sh), ^{(please verify)} skladiste, ^{(please verify)} repozitorijum

Etymology 2

From reposit or its etymon Classical Latin reposit-, past participial stem of repōnō, +‎ -ory. Compare Medieval Latin repositōrius (“used for storage”).

Adjective

repository (not comparable)

1. (military, now historical) This term needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
   • 1873 August 7, “National Artillery Association”, in The Times, number 27,762, London: Francis Goodlake, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 8, column 4:

     During the meeting the non-commissioned officers of the School of Gunnery have been drilling the Volunteers in the use of the breechloading Armstrong, and also in repository work.

   • 1884 August 21, “The Shoeburyness Competition”, in The Liverpool Echo. […], special edition, number 1499, Liverpool, Lancashire, →OCLC, page 4, column 6:

     The final shift in the repository competition was performed this morning by the first and second detachments of the 3rd Kent men, who were the the^[sic] winners in the “A” shift in this week’s repository competition, having done the work in 11min. 35sec.

   • 1931 August 6, “Best Yet Held: Cornwall Heavy Brigade Camp”, in West Briton & Cornwall Advertiser, volume CLIX, number 3266, Truro, Cornwall, →OCLC, page 11, column 2:

     During the first week the brigade concentrated an^[sic] intensive physical training and ceremonial drill, alternating with repository exercises.

   • 1981 June 16, Leland Hicks, “Recovered Box Holds ‘Treasure’”, in The Daily Herald, 108th year, number 276, Provo, Ut., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 24, column 1:

     This important information is only part of the wealth of data, history, autobiography and memorabilia recently uncovered in a tin box which was sealed in the corner stone of the Central School in Spanish Fork on July 13, 1896 as part of the Repository Exercises conducted that day.