Definition of Department

1. Noun. A specialized division of a large organization. "She got a job in the historical section of the Treasury"


2. Noun. The territorial and administrative division of some countries (such as France).
Generic synonyms: Administrative District, Administrative Division, Territorial Division
Group relationships: Country, Land, State
Geographical relationships: France, French Republic
Derivative terms: Departmental

3. Noun. A specialized sphere of knowledge. "His work established a new department of literature"
Generic synonyms: Sector, Sphere

Definition of Department

1. n. Act of departing; departure.

Definition of Department

1. Noun. A part, portion, or subdivision. ¹

2. Noun. A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like; appointed sphere or walk; province. ¹

3. Noun. 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 instructions; as, the medical department; the department of physics. ¹

4. Noun. A territorial division; a district; especially, in France, one of the districts composed of several arrondissements into which the country is divided for governmental purposes. ¹

5. Noun. A military subdivision of a country; as, the Department of the Potomac. ¹

6. Noun. (obsolete) Act of departing; departure. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Department

1. [n -S]

Medical Definition of Department

1. 1. Act of departing; departure. "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 instructions; as, the medical department; the department of physics. 5. A territorial division; a district; especially, 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. Origin: F. Departement, fr. Departir. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Department

departable
departed
departed(a)
departee
departees
departer
departers
departest
departeth
departing
departing(a)
departition
departitioned
departitioning
departitions
department head
department of English
department of anthropology
department of biology
department of chemistry
department of computer science
department of corrections
department of economics
department of history
department of linguistics
department of local government
department of mathematics
department of music
department of philosophy

Literary usage of Department

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Annual Report by Illinois Farmers' Institute (1900)
"We often think (if we think at all) of the agricultural department of our ... We find on investigation that the department in one form or other is as old as ..."

2. Science by American Association for the Advancement of Science (1910)
"In our department, the assistant professor is an important factor in all ... Departmental policies in the department at present determined by the two heads. ..."

3. Library Journal by Richard Rogers Bowker, Charles Ammi Cutter, American Library Association, Library Association (1899)
"To the manuscript department 1866 additions have been made, a number of important items having been acquired through the visit made by the superintendent of ..."

4. The Federalist: A Commentary on the Constitution of the United States, Being by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay, Henry Cabot Lodge (1892)
"... secondly, in most of the other instances, they conformed either to the declared or the known sentiments of the legislative department; thirdly, ..."

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