department

[dih-pahrt-muhnt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR department ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a distinct part of anything arranged in divisions; a division of a complex whole or organized system.

one of the principal branches of a governmental organization: the sanitation department.

(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.

a division of a business enterprise dealing with a particular area of activity: the personnel department.

a section of a retail store selling a particular class or kind of goods: the sportswear department.

one of the sections of a school or college dealing with a particular field of knowledge: the English department.

one of the large districts into which certain countries, as France, are divided for administrative purposes.

a division of official business, duties, or functions: judicial departments.

a sphere or province of activity, knowledge, or responsibility: Paying the bills is not my department.

(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 of department

1730–35; < French département, equivalent to départ(ir) (see depart) + -ment -ment

Related formsde·part·men·tal

[dih-pahrt-men-tl, dee-pahrt-] /dɪ pɑrtˈmɛn tl, ˌdi pɑrt-/, adjectivede·part·men·tal·ly, adverbnon·de·part·men·tal, adjectivenon·de·part·men·tal·ly, adverbpre·de·part·men·tal, adjectivesub·de·part·ment, nounsub·de·part·men·tal, adjective

Synonyms for department

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR department ON THESAURUS.COM

1. branch, bureau, section, unit, segment.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for departmental

directorial, supervisory, regulatory, governmental, ministerial, commanding, legislative, organizational, bureaucratic, managerial, administrative, approved, canonical, executive, imperial, lawful, legal, legitimate, magisterial, mandatory

Examples from the Web for departmental

Contemporary Examples of departmental

Maybe it has to do with a departmental culture that downplays sexual assaults—an attitude that seems to start at the top.
In Washington, Sexual Assault Victims Find Justice Elusive
February 22, 2013
An affair that blossoms in his 40s and is quickly squelched by a departmental rival serves as his single true illumination.
Must-Read College Novels: From “Lucky Jim” to “Pnin”
Sam Munson
August 13, 2012

Historical Examples of departmental

He was engaged often in departmental work which he could not even explain.
Mr. Grex of Monte Carlo
E. Phillips Oppenheim
I have placed it in the Canadian room of our Departmental Museum.
The Story of My Life
Egerton Ryerson
Roger Fauquier had been a departmental clerk for forty years.
The Story of a Mine
Bret Harte
But it is also, like dressmaking, carried on in shops and in departmental stores.
The Canadian Girl at Work
Marjory MacMurchy
He was solemnly in earnest about economy and departmental mismanagement.
Lord Randolph Churchill
Winston Spencer Churchill

British Dictionary definitions for departmental

department

noun

a specialized division of a large concern, such as a business, store, or universitythe geography department

a major subdivision or branch of the administration of a government

a branch or subdivision of learningphysics is a department of science

a territorial and administrative division in several countries, such as France

informal a specialized sphere of knowledge, skill, or activitywine-making is my wife's department

Derived Formsdepartmental (ˌdiːpɑːtˈmɛntəl), adjectivedepartmentally, adverb

Word Origin for department

C18: from French département, from départir to divide; see depart

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for departmental

adj.

1791, "pertaining to a French department," from French départmental, from département (see department). Meaning "of departmental systems generally" from 1832.

department

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.