poste restante

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French poste restante.

Noun

poste restante (uncountable)

1. A postal service in which a mail is held at a post office to be collected by the recipient
   • 2017, Erling Kagge, Silence: In the Age of Noise, page 50:

     This was in the old days, before the expansion of the internet, so we hadn’t received any news from Norway. The only exceptions were letters from girlfriends, friends and family that were sent poste restante to the harbors where we were expected.

Synonyms

• general delivery (US, Canada)
• to be called for (UK)
• care of post office (Australia)

Translations

a service where the post office holds mail until the recipient calls for it

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 存局候領／存局候领 (zh) (cúnjúhòulǐng) (China, Macao, and Taiwan); 存局待領／存局待领 (cúnjúdàilǐng) (Hong Kong); 留局候領／留局候领 (zh) (liújúhòulǐng) (dated)

• Finnish: poste restante (fi), noutoposti (fi)
• French: poste restante (fr) f
• German: Postlagerservice m
• Hungarian: postán maradó
• Italian: fermoposta m
• Japanese: 局留め (きょくどめ, kyokudome)
• Korean: 우체국 임치제(郵遞局任置制) (ucheguk imchije)
• Portuguese: posta restante
• Russian: (слу́жба) до востре́бования (ru) (do vostrébovanija)
• Swedish: poste restante (sv)

See also

• accommodation address

Swedish

Alternative forms

• PR, p. r. (abbrevation)

Etymology

Internationalism by the Universal Postal Union, via unadapted borrowing from French poste restante, compound of poste (“staying”) +‎ restante (“mail”). First attested in 1853.

Adverb

poste restante

1. (post) poste restante
   • 1841 February 20, O. C., “En liten Roman [A little novel]”, in Carlskrona Weckoblad, page 3:

     Då bad jag, att jag åtminſtone måtte få weta hennes namn, och begärde tillſtånd att få beſöka hennes föräldrar, för att anhålla om hennes hand. "Längre fram", ſwarade hon mig, "ſkall du få underrättelſe från mig genom bref, under adreſ poste restante."

     Then I begged that I might at least know her name, and requested permission to visit her parents, to ask for her hand. "Later on," she replied to me, "you shall receive word from me by letter, addressed poste restante."

   • 1884 January 28, “Look here! [Look here!]”, in Smålands Allehanda, page 4:

     En 21-årig ung man, som genomgått Dubbla Italienska Bokföringen och är kunnig i Tyska och Engelska språkets korrespondens, önskar anställning å kontor eller i bokhandel, ju förr dess hellre. Reflekterande härå bedes inlemna svar märkt "A. E. R." till Ystads postkontor, poste restante.

     A young man, 21 years of age, who has completed Double Italian Bookkeeping and is proficient in German and English correspondence, seeks employment in an office or bookstore, the sooner the better. Those interested are requested to submit a response marked "A. E. R." to the Ystad post office, poste restante.

   • 1945, Anna Branting, Min långa resa, page 100:

     Den rara Frau Kinch! Inte mer än en mark kostade logiet. Till Hamburg hade Hjalmar skickat pengar poste restante.

     The charming Frau Kinch! The lodging cost no more than a mark. To Hamburg, Hjalmar had sent money poste restante.

   • 2011 March 30, Taner Caliskan, Fredrik Sjöstrand, “Poste restante bara i Ystad [Poste restante only in Ystad]”, in Ystads Allehanda:

     Det har även hänt flera gånger att båtägare vars båtar havererat i Ystad fått vänta till deras motordel kommit till Ystad, poste restante förstås, säger Marianne Viberg.

     It has also happened several times that boat owners whose boats have broken down in Ystad have had to wait until their engine parts arrived in Ystad, poste restante of course, says Marianne Viberg.

Derived terms

• poste restante-brev
• poste restante-försändelse

See also

• c/o

References

• poste restante in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)