divan

¹ American  

[dih-van, -vahn, dahy-van] / dɪˈvæn, -ˈvɑn, ˈdaɪ væn /

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.

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

4. any council, committee, or commission.

5. (in the Middle East)

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

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

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

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

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divan ² American  

[dih-van] / dɪˈvæn /

adjective

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

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divan British  

/ dɪˈvæn /

noun

1. 1. a backless sofa or couch, designed to be set against a wall

   2. a bed resembling such a couch

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

3. 1. a Muslim law court, council chamber, or counting house

   2. a Muslim council of state

4. a collection of poems

5. (in Muslim law) an account book

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Etymology

Origin of divan¹

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”)

Origin of divan²

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

Explanation

A divan is a piece of furniture you might have in your living room — it's a low sofa without a back, sort of like an upholstered bench. Famously, Sigmund Freud's patients reclined on a divan during psychoanalysis. The word divan comes from Turkish, and its meaning, "long, cushioned seat," evolved from "book of accounts" to "council chamber" and finally to a type of seating that's common in council chambers in the Middle East. Occasionally people mean a bed with box-springs when they talk about a divan, but it usually refers to a seat with cushions for leaning against.

Example Sentences

The MariTide update was qualitative, not quantitative, wrote Guggenheim analyst Vamil Divan in a Wednesday note.

From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026

He added that his priority was to ensure the future of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra , which he co-founded in 1999.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2025

Another inspiration was the late Palestinian American scholar Edward Said, with whom Barenboim began West-Eastern Divan as an experiment two decades ago.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2024

Weakness in the medical devices unit might be playing a role in the stock move, said Guggenheim Partners analyst Vamil Divan, who called pharmaceutical sales the "most impressive" part of J&J's quarter.

From Reuters • Oct. 17, 2023

I have seen him sit for hours at the Divan and the R�gence, playing over, not merely his own battles, but the contests of others, till the spectators could scarcely believe their senses.

From The Exploits and Triumphs, in Europe, of Paul Morphy, the Chess Champion by Edge, Frederick Milnes