The Spanish word 'despacho' (meaning 'office' or 'dispatch') comes from the Spanish verb 'despachar' (meaning 'to dispatch'), which in turn was borrowed from the Old French word 'despeechier' (meaning 'to dispatch'). The noun form developed from the verb, taking on both the meaning of the action (dispatch) and the place where such business is conducted (office).

A closely related and commonly used Spanish word is the verb 'despachar', which means 'to dispatch' or 'to deal with'. This verb is actually more basic than 'despacho' and is frequently used in everyday Spanish. When you hear someone say 'despachar un asunto' (to deal with a matter) or 'despachar mercancías' (to dispatch goods), you can see how the meaning of the office ('despacho') relates to the place where such dispatching or dealing with matters occurs.

The English word 'dispatch' is related to 'despacho', as they both ultimately come from the Old French 'despeechier'. While the Spanish terms maintained more of the business and office-related connotations, the English 'dispatch' primarily retained the sense of sending something or someone off quickly, or handling a matter promptly. You can see the connection between quickly handling matters (dispatch) and the office (despacho) where such business is conducted.