noun

repository

rih-PAH-zuh-tor-ee/rɪˈpɑːzətɔːri/

A place or source where things or information are stored.

The repository holds shelves of archival boxes and rolled documents.

Orderly archival repository with shelves of boxes and rolled documents, preservation and storage.

Etymology

reLatinback, away

+positLatinto put, place

+oryLatinplace for

Putting back or away gives the compound verb its sense of storing. With a place-forming ending, the word names somewhere things are kept, later also including collections of immaterial things.

In context

Old Time Radio Researchers0:09

The Black Museum, a repository of death, a museum of murder. Yes, here in the grim stone structure on the Thames, which houses Scotland Yard

Black Museum - The Pair Of Spectacles

More examples

Researchers donated their records to a public repository.
The server acted as a repository for the team's code.
The museum became a repository of regional knowledge.

Forms

repository · repositories

deposit verb — put something in a place for safekeeping

Similar words

archive: An archive preserves records; a repository may hold many other kinds of material.
warehouse: A warehouse stores physical goods; repository is broader and can be digital or figurative.