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department
4 dictionary results for: Department
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
de·part·ment       [di-pahrt-muhnt] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.a distinct part of anything arranged in divisions; a division of a complex whole or organized system.
2.one of the principal branches of a governmental organization: the sanitation department.
3.(initial capital letter) one of the principal divisions of the U.S. federal government, headed by a Secretary who is a member of the President's cabinet.
4.a division of a business enterprise dealing with a particular area of activity: the personnel department.
5.a section of a retail store selling a particular class or kind of goods: the sportswear department.
6.one of the sections of a school or college dealing with a particular field of knowledge: the English department.
7.one of the large districts into which certain countries, as France, are divided for administrative purposes.
8.a division of official business, duties, or functions: judicial departments.
9.a sphere or province of activity, knowledge, or responsibility: Paying the bills is not my department.
10.(usually initial capital letter) U.S. Army. (formerly) a large geographical division of the U.S. or its possessions as divided for military and defense purposes: the Hawaiian Department.
[Origin: 1730–35; < F département, equiv. to départ(ir) (see depart) + -ment -ment]

—Related forms
de·part·men·tal       [di-pahrt-men-tl, dee-pahrt-] Pronunciation Key, adjective
de·part·men·tal·ly, adverb

—Synonyms 1. branch, bureau, section, unit, segment.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
de·part·ment       (dĭ-pärt'mənt)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A distinct, usually specialized division of a large organization, especially:
    1. A principal administrative division of a government: the department of public works.
    2. A division of a business specializing in a particular product or service: the personnel department.
    3. A division of a school or college dealing with a particular field of knowledge: the physics department.
  2. Department One of the principal executive divisions of the federal government of the United States, headed by a cabinet officer.
  3. A section of a department store selling a particular line of merchandise: the home furnishings department.
  4. An administrative district in France.
  5. A unit of a warship's crew, organized by function, such as gunnery or engineering.
  6. An area of particular knowledge or responsibility; a specialty: Getting the kids to bed is my department.


[French département, from Old French, separation, from departir, to divide; see depart.]

de'part·men'tal (dē'pärt-měn'tl) adj., de'part·men'tal·ly adv.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
department

noun
1. a specialized division of a large organization; "you'll find it in the hardware department"; "she got a job in the historical section of the Treasury" 
2. the territorial and administrative division of some countries (such as France) 
3. a specialized sphere of knowledge; "baking is not my department"; "his work established a new department of literature" 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Department

De*part"ment\, n. [F. d['e]partement, fr. d['e]partir. See Depart, v. i.]

1. Act of departing; departure. [Obs.]

Sudden departments from one extreme to another. --Wotton.

2. A part, portion, or subdivision.

3. A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like; appointed sphere or walk; province.

Superior to Pope in Pope's own peculiar department of literature. --Macaulay.

4. Subdivision of business or official duty; especially, one of the principal divisions of executive government; as, the treasury department; the war department; also, in a university, one of the divisions of instruction; as, the medical department; the department of physics.

5. A territorial division; a district; esp., in France, one of the districts composed of several arrondissements into which the country is divided for governmental purposes; as, the Department of the Loire.

6. A military subdivision of a country; as, the Department of the Potomac.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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