department

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" [syn: section]

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"

English

Etymology

From département.

Pronunciation

Noun

1. A part, portion, or subdivision.
2. 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.

3. 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.
4. 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.
5. A military subdivision of a country; as, the Department of the Potomac.
6. Act of departing; departure.

   • Sudden departments from one extreme to another. Wotton.

Translations

• Czech: oddělení
• German: Abteilung (3)
• Hebrew: מחלקה (makhlaqa) (3)
• Spanish: departamento (4), sección (1)

Derived terms

• departmental
• departmentally

See also

• province
• state

A department is a part of a larger organization with a specific responsibility. For the division of organizations into departments, see departmentalization.

In particular:

• A government department in Australia, Canada, Switzerland and the United States, corresponds to a ministry in other systems:
  • Department (Australian government)
  • Department (Swiss government)
  • Departments of the United Kingdom Government
  • Department (US government)

• Department (country subdivision)- a geographical and administrative division within a country.
• Part of an institution such as a commercial company (see departmentalization) or a non-profit organization such as a university.
  • Academic department

• A department store is a retail store that includes many specialized departments such as clothing or household items.

• Part of a state or municipal government:
  • Fire department
  • Police department

• In the US military:
  • "Department" is a term used by the U.S. Army, mostly prior to World War I.
  • A naval Department is a section devoted to one of several major tasks.

• In the magazine context:
  • Articles, essays and columns that follow a certain consistency under one topic.

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