poste restante

American  

[pohst re-stahnt, res-tahnt, pawst res-tahnt] / ˌpoʊst rɛˈstɑnt, ˈrɛs tɑnt, pɔst rɛsˈtɑ̃t /

noun

1. a direction written on mail to indicate that it should be held at the post office until called for by the addressee.

2. Chiefly British. a department in charge of such mail.

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poste restante British  

/ ˈpəʊst rɪˈstænt, pɔst rɛstɑ̃t /

noun

1. (not in the US and Canada) an address on mail indicating that it should be kept at a specified post office until collected by the addressee

2. the mail-delivery service or post-office department that handles mail having this address

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Etymology

Origin of poste restante

1760–70; < French: literally, standing post

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

poste restante

Leisurely two-sided correspondences were difficult to sustain, with Chatwin roving from one poste restante to the next.

From New York Times ● Feb. 25, 2011

Dear Sir, My last to you was of the 21st of November, addressed to Milan, poste restante, according to the desire expressed through Mrs. Paradise.

From Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 2 by Thomas Jefferson Randolph

The doctor inquired at the poste restante in vain.

From My Unknown Chum by Charles Bullard Fairbanks

Direct your answer by return to me, poste restante, Calais.

From Kenelm Chillingly — Complete by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton

The letter simply said that the papers would be at Versailles, at the poste restante, in my name, on a certain day—that is to say, this morning.

From The Teeth of the Tiger by Maurice Leblanc