divan

1
[ dih-van, -vahn or, especially for 1, dahy-van ]
See synonyms for divan on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a sofa or couch, usually without arms or back, often usable as a bed.

  2. a long, cushioned seat, usually without arms or back, placed against a wall, as in Asian countries.

  1. a council of state in Turkey and other countries of the Middle East.

  2. any council, committee, or commission.

  3. (in the Middle East)

    • a council chamber, judgment hall, audience chamber, or bureau of state.

    • a large building used for some official or public purpose, as a custom house.

  4. a smoking room, as in connection with a tobacco shop.

  5. a collection of poems, especially a collection in Arabic or Persian of poems by one poet.

Origin of divan

1
First recorded in 1580–90; from Ottoman Turkish dīvān “state council,” from Arabic dīwān, from Persian dīwān, originally dēvan “booklet” (whence “account book, archive, office, council, bench”)

Words Nearby divan

Other definitions for divan (2 of 2)

divan2
[ dih-van ]

adjective
  1. (especially of chicken or turkey breast) sliced and baked in a casserole with broccoli and hollandaise sauce.

Origin of divan

2
First recorded in 1935–40; named after its place of origin, the Divan Parisienne Restaurant, in the Chatham Hotel, Manhattan, New York; see divine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use divan in a sentence

  • Monte Irvin, very pale and haggard, sat upon the divan beside Quentin Gray.

    Dope | Sax Rohmer
  • The present Great Mogul has so little taste, that he has had this divan divided into two parts by a very paltry partition wall.

  • The rich old piano and Maud's guitar occupied one corner, and a low, velvet divan the other, on each side of the mantel.

British Dictionary definitions for divan

divan

/ (dɪˈvæn) /


noun
    • a backless sofa or couch, designed to be set against a wall

    • a bed resembling such a couch

  1. (esp formerly) a room for smoking and drinking, as in a coffee shop

    • a Muslim law court, council chamber, or counting house

    • a Muslim council of state

  1. a collection of poems

  2. (in Muslim law) an account book

Origin of divan

1
C16: from Turkish dīvān, from Persian dīwān
  • Also called (for senses 2–5): diwan

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