Definitions for Department
dɪˈpɑrt məntDepart·ment

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. department, section(noun)

   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. department(noun)

   the territorial and administrative division of some countries (such as France)

3. department(noun)

   a specialized sphere of knowledge

   "baking is not my department"; "his work established a new department of literature"

Wiktionary(2.40 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. department(Noun)

   A part, portion, or subdivision.

   Etymology: From département.

2. department(Noun)

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

   Etymology: From département.

3. department(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.

   Etymology: From département.

4. department(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.

   Etymology: From département.

5. department(Noun)

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

   Etymology: From département.

6. department(Noun)

   Act of departing; departure.

   Etymology: From département.

Webster Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Department(verb)

   act of departing; departure

   Etymology: [F. dpartement, fr. dpartir. See Depart, v. i.]

2. Department(verb)

   a part, portion, or subdivision

   Etymology: [F. dpartement, fr. dpartir. See Depart, v. i.]

3. Department(verb)

   a distinct course of life, action, study, or the like; appointed sphere or walk; province

   Etymology: [F. dpartement, fr. dpartir. See Depart, v. i.]

4. Department(verb)

   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

   Etymology: [F. dpartement, fr. dpartir. See Depart, v. i.]

5. Department(verb)

   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

   Etymology: [F. dpartement, fr. dpartir. See Depart, v. i.]

6. Department(verb)

   a military subdivision of a country; as, the Department of the Potomac

   Etymology: [F. dpartement, fr. dpartir. See Depart, v. i.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Department

   Department is the name given to the administrative and political subdivisions of many countries. As a territorial unit, "department" was first used by the French Revolutionary governments, apparently to emphasize that each territory was simply an administrative sub-division of the united sovereign nation. This attempt to de-emphasize local political identity contrasts strongly with countries which are divided into "states". Today, departments may exist either with or without a representative assembly and executive head depending upon the countries' constitutional and administrative structure. The United States used this designation for the "Department of Alaska" during the early period of US rule in Alaska.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Department

   de-pärt′ment, n. a part: a separate part of business or duty: a section of the administration: a division of a country, esp. of France.—adj. Department′al.—adv. Department′ally.

The Nuttall Encyclopedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Department

   a territorial division in France instituted in 1790, under which the old division into provinces was broken up; each department, of which there are now 87, is broken up into arrondissements.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. department

   A term by which the divisions in the public services are distinguished, as the civil, the commissariat, the military, the naval, the victualling, &c.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. department

   A facet of a business, company, enterprise, organization or form of unity assembly, unity council, unity legislature, unity senate, house of representatives, unity government, local unity government, regional unity government, national unity government, european unity government and international unity government with a specific purpose.

   The department had all the resources and income that they needed.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 18, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Department' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #531

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Department' in Written Corpus Frequency: #875

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Department' in Nouns Frequency: #153

How to pronounce Department?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say Department in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Department in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Department in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of Department in a Sentence

1. Matt Licari/Invision/AP:

   I kept saying, I think this is an important, historic story, the President and the Department of Justice shouldnt make you unemployable and uninsurable.

2. Aaron Ament:

   Under current leadership, the Department of Education seems determined to deny student borrowers the financial relief to which they are entitled, the students we are trying to help have been doubly victimized — first by the for-profit colleges that deceived them, and now by the federal government that refuses to help.

3. Sarah Palin:

   I think a lot about the Department of Energy, because energy is my baby, oil and gas and minerals, those things that God has dumped on this part of the Earth for mankind's use, instead of relying on unfriendly foreign nations for us to import their resources, and if I were head of that.

4. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake:

   Over the next few months, we will put in place a concrete plan for change and a new culture – for the good of the city, the Police Department and the people it protects.

5. Exxon Mobil Corp:

   In an abundance of caution, the refinery activated the Crenshaw Boulevard barriers and the Torrance Fire Department sounded the community warning sirens to alert the public to shelter in place.

Images & Illustrations of Department

Popularity rank by frequency of use