department

[dih-pahrt-muh nt] /dɪˈpɑrt mənt/
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; < French département, equivalent to départ(ir) (see depart) + -ment -ment
Related forms
departmental
[dih-pahrt-men-tl, dee-pahrt-] /dɪ pɑrtˈmɛn tl, ˌdi pɑrt-/ (Show IPA), adjective
departmentally, adverb
nondepartmental, adjective
nondepartmentally, adverb
predepartmental, adjective
subdepartment, noun
subdepartmental, adjective
Synonyms
1. branch, bureau, section, unit, segment.
Examples from the web for department
  • Often you hear central administrators note that the hardest job in the university is that of department head.
  • The department cannot even hold on to the recruits it does manage to find.
  • Place the fire department at the far outskirts of town.
  • The garden department told me there was some basil in the test garden that had flowered and need to be snipped.
  • Introducing a new department and the editor who runs it.
  • These two deciduous trees are standouts in the berry department.
  • Its marketing department is regarded by industry as second to none.
  • The public comment deadline for the decision ends today, and the department is expected to make a decision in the coming weeks.
  • department of archaeology and prehistory, university of sheffield.
  • The economy of the department was long dependent on mining, primarily the coal mines.
British Dictionary definitions for department

department

/dɪˈpɑːtmənt/
noun
1.
a specialized division of a large concern, such as a business, store, or university: the geography department
2.
a major subdivision or branch of the administration of a government
3.
a branch or subdivision of learning: physics is a department of science
4.
a territorial and administrative division in several countries, such as France
5.
(informal) a specialized sphere of knowledge, skill, or activity: wine-making is my wife's department
Derived Forms
departmental (ˌdiːpɑːtˈmɛntəl) adjective
departmentally, adverb
Word Origin
C18: from French département, from départir to divide; see depart
Word Origin and History for department
n.

mid-15c., "a going away, act of leaving," from Old French departement (12c.) "division, sharing out; divorce, parting," from Late Latin departire (see depart). French department meant "group of people" (as well as "departure"), from which English borrowed the sense of "separate division, separate business assigned to someone in a larger organization" (c.1735). Meaning "separate division of a government" is from 1769. As an administrative district in France, from 1792.