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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

department en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /dəˈpɐːtm(ə)nt/ (New-Zealand)
  • /dɪˈpɑɹtmənt/ (Canada, General-American)
  • /dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /dɪˈpɐːtm(ə)nt/ (Australia)
  • (California) audio

Etymology

From Middle English departement (“ceasing, end”), from Middle French département. Later senses borrowed from Modern French département. Doublet of département.

Meanings

  1. A part, portion, or subdivision.
  2. A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like.
    • Technical things are not his department; he's a people person.
    • superior to Pope in Pope's own peculiar department of literature 1856 December, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “Samuel Johnson”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, →OCLC:
    • Flair and invention were very much at a premium, suffocated by the relentless pace and often fractious nature of proceedings. The absence of James Morrison from the centre of Scotland’s midfield, the West Brom man ruled out on the morning of the game by illness, had already diminished the creative capacity of the home side in that department. 2014 November 14, Stephen Halliday, “Scotland 1-0 Republic of Ireland: Maloney the hero”, in The Scotsman:
  3. A specified aspect or quality.
    • While the Chiefs superstar trails legendary quarterback Tom Brady in the Super Bowl wins department – the former Patriot and Tampa Bay Buccaneer has seven to Mahomes’ three – the chatter will only get louder and louder as to whether or not the 2023 Super Bowl MVP is the greatest of all time or not as he continues his career. 2024 February 12, Ben Morse and Steve Almasy, “Kansas City Chiefs defeat San Francisco 49ers in OT in Super Bowl LVIII, become first back-to-back NFL champions in 19 years”, in CNN.com:
    • The 2012 Boston Marathon was outstanding in the temperature department; runners endured temperatures of no less than 88 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. (qualifier:often in proper names) A subdivision of an organization. ▸ One of the principal divisions of executive government
    • the Treasury Department; the Department of Agriculture; police department
  5. (in a university) A subdivision of an organization. ▸ One of the divisions of instructions
    • the physics department; the history department; the math department
  6. A territorial division; a district; especially, in France, one of the districts into which the country is divided for governmental purposes, similar to a county in the UK and in the USA. France is composed of 101 départements organized in 18 régions, each department is divided into arrondissements, in turn divided into cantons.
    • The departments were the bricks from which the edifice of the nation was to be constructed. 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation: France from Louis XV to the 1715-99, Penguin, published 2003, page 427:
  7. (historical) A military subdivision of a country
    • the Department of the Potomac
  8. (obsolete) Act of departing; departure.
    • For though Contraria iuxta ſe poſita magis illuceſcunt [opposites placed next to each other shine more brightly] (by an olde Rule) yet it hath beene ſubtilly, and indeede truely noted that our Sight, is not vvell contented, vvith thoſe ſudden departments, from one extreame to another; Therefore let them haue, rather a Duskiſh Tincture, then an abſolute blacke. 1624, Henry Wotton, The Elements of Architecture, […], London: […] Iohn Bill, →OCLC, II. part, page 104:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
departments Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

cabinet department · department store · trouser department · departmentally · police department · casualty department · fire department · departmentize · state department · subdepartment · treasury department · departmentation · departmental · departmentwide · emergency department · Department of Redundancy Department · superdepartment · multidepartment · interdepartmental

Relateds

province · state

Synonyms

ministry (division of executive government) · specialty (distinct course) · province (distinct course)

Translations (184)

el διεύθυνση (subdivision of organization) · hi शाखा (course of life, action, study, etc.) · da felt (course of life, action, study, etc.) · mk оддел (subdivision of organization) · da område (course of life, action, study, etc.) · vi ban (subdivision of organization) · da institut (subdivision of organization) · el υπηρεσία (subdivision of organization) · be дэпарта́мент (subdivision of organization) · mk одделение (subdivision of organization) · da afdeling (part, portion, subdivision) · nn departement (subdivision of organization) · kk бөлім (subdivision of organization) · ml വിഭാഗം (part, portion, subdivision) · tg шӯъба (subdivision of organization) · da ministerium (subdivision of organization) · vi tỉnh (territorial division) · cy adran (subdivision of organization) · ht depatman (subdivision of organization) · uz shuʼba (subdivision of organization) · ka დეპარტამენტი (subdivision of organization) · sk oddelenie (subdivision of organization) · nl afdeling (part, portion, subdivision) · hi अनुभाग (subdivision of organization) · fi osasto (part, portion, subdivision) · bn বিভাগ (subdivision of organization) · ru отде́л (subdivision of organization) · prs قِسْمَت (part, portion, subdivision) · cmn 省 (territorial division) · ru факульте́т (subdivision of organization) · rm departament (subdivision of organization) · be аддзе́л (subdivision of organization) · sv avdelning (part, portion, subdivision) · vi phòng (subdivision of organization) · pl oddział (subdivision of organization) · de Institut (subdivision of organization) · eo fako (subdivision of organization) · eo departemento (territorial division) · af departement (subdivision of organization) · af departement (part, portion, subdivision) · ru департа́мент (subdivision of organization) · tr departman (subdivision of organization) · km ការិយាល័យ (subdivision of organization) · da departement (territorial division) · it reparto (subdivision of organization) · th แผนก (subdivision of organization) · az şöbə (subdivision of organization) · sl katedra (subdivision of organization) · fr département (territorial division) · ru отделе́ние (part, portion, subdivision) · hu szakosztály (subdivision of organization) · ja 部門 (subdivision of organization) · hu minisztérium (subdivision of organization) · he מַחְלָקָה (subdivision of organization) · nb institutt (subdivision of organization) · nl departement (subdivision of organization) · rm departament (territorial division) · tg қисмат (part, portion, subdivision) · pl departament (subdivision of organization) · aig kuura (part, portion, subdivision) · tr bölüm (subdivision of organization) · sh odjeljénje (subdivision of organization) · el κλάδος (subdivision of organization) · sl oddelek (subdivision of organization) · hu tanszék (subdivision of organization) · yue 部 (subdivision of organization) · lo ພະແນກ (subdivision of organization) · fi jaosto (part, portion, subdivision) · nn institutt (subdivision of organization) · uz boʻlim (subdivision of organization) · fa-ira شُعْبِه (subdivision of organization) · da departement (subdivision of organization) · pt setor (subdivision of organization) · th ภาควิชา (subdivision of organization) · hi विभाग (subdivision of organization) · cmn 系 (subdivision of organization) · sc dipartimentu (territorial division) · lo ພາກວິຊາ (subdivision of organization) · ug تارماق (subdivision of organization) · prs شُعْبَه (subdivision of organization) · fi laitos (subdivision of organization) · fi ala (course of life, action, study, etc.) · pcd départémint (territorial division) · fr ministère (subdivision of organization) · fa-ira قِسْمَت (part, portion, subdivision) · hi अनुभाग (part, portion, subdivision) · nn departement (territorial division) · mhn omt (subdivision of organization) · et osakond (subdivision of organization) · nb departement (territorial division) · nb departement (subdivision of organization) · tl kagawaran (subdivision of organization) · bg отделе́ние (subdivision of organization) · ru отде́л (part, portion, subdivision) · ru министе́рство (subdivision of organization) · eo fako (part, portion, subdivision) · uk департа́мент (subdivision of organization) · es departamento (subdivision of organization) · cmn 部門 /部门 (subdivision of organization) · it facoltà (subdivision of organization) · ja 学部 (subdivision of organization) · ar قِسْم (subdivision of organization) · ja 局 (subdivision of organization) · fi yksikkö (subdivision of organization) · ro departament (part, portion, subdivision) · it dipartimento (subdivision of organization) · pl dział (part, portion, subdivision) · ml വകുപ്പ് (subdivision of organization) · ru департа́мент (territorial division) · ko 학과 (subdivision of organization) · ur مَحْکَمَہ (subdivision of organization) · hy ֆակուլտետ (subdivision of organization) · af afdeling (part, portion, subdivision) · fy departemint (territorial division) · ba бүлек (subdivision of organization) · fi osasto (subdivision of organization) · hy բաժին (subdivision of organization) · ru отделе́ние (subdivision of organization) · ml വകുപ്പ് (course of life, action, study, etc.) · pt departamento (subdivision of organization) · ro departament (territorial division) · lv nodaļa (subdivision of organization) · ja 県 (territorial division) · pl agenda (subdivision of organization) · lv daļa (subdivision of organization) · hi विभाग (course of life, action, study, etc.) · hi विभाग (part, portion, subdivision) · lt skyrius (subdivision of organization) · pl dział (subdivision of organization) · uk відді́л (subdivision of organization) · pl wydział (part, portion, subdivision) · fi maakunta (territorial division) · ko 부서 (subdivision of organization) · prs بَخْش (subdivision of organization) · af afdeling (subdivision of organization) · de Abteilung (subdivision of organization) · cmn 部 (subdivision of organization) · hu osztály (subdivision of organization) · el περιφέρεια (territorial division) · yue 系 (subdivision of organization) · ro sector (part, portion, subdivision) · fa-ira بَخْش (subdivision of organization) · bg отделе́ние (part, portion, subdivision) · es departamento (territorial division) · co dipartimentu (territorial division) · fi ministeriö (subdivision of organization) · de Lehrstuhl (subdivision of organization) · ta துறை (subdivision of organization) · ur شُعْبَہ (subdivision of organization) · yue 部門 /部门 (subdivision of organization) · tt бүлек (subdivision of organization) · ka განყოფილება (subdivision of organization) · da fagområde (subdivision of organization) · cy adran (part, portion, subdivision) · it dipartimento (territorial division) · cs oddělení (subdivision of organization) · sq departament (subdivision of organization) · sh одеље́ње (subdivision of organization) · tr şube (subdivision of organization) · bg отде́л (part, portion, subdivision) · hu részleg (subdivision of organization) · eo fako (course of life, action, study, etc.) · tk bölüm (subdivision of organization) · bg отде́л (subdivision of organization) · id departemen (subdivision of organization) · ba бүлек (part, portion, subdivision) · el περιοχή (territorial division) · nl afdeling (subdivision of organization) · br departamant (territorial division) · pt departamento (part, portion, subdivision) · pt departamento (territorial division) · ky бөлүм (subdivision of organization) · my ဌာန (subdivision of organization) · ar قِسْم (part, portion, subdivision) · sh одјеље́ње (subdivision of organization) · sh odeljénje (subdivision of organization) · ro departament (subdivision of organization) · el τμήμα (subdivision of organization) · bg департаме́нт (territorial division) · fi departementti (territorial division) · mn хэлтэс (subdivision of organization) · tg бахш (subdivision of organization) · tl kagawaran (part, portion, subdivision) · rm departament (part, portion, subdivision)