department

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A distinct, usually specialized division of a large organization, especially:
2. n. A principal administrative division of a government: the department of public works.
3. n. A division of a business specializing in a particular product or service: the personnel department.
4. n. A division of a school or college dealing with a particular field of knowledge: the physics department.
5. n. One of the principal executive divisions of the federal government of the United States, headed by a cabinet officer.
6. n. A section of a department store selling a particular line of merchandise: the home furnishings department.
7. n. An administrative district in France.
8. n. A unit of a warship's crew, organized by function, such as gunnery or engineering.
9. n. An area of particular knowledge or responsibility; a specialty: Getting the kids to bed is my department.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A separate part or division of a complex whole; a distinct branch or province; a subdivision, as of a class or group of activities, organizations, or the like: as, the various departments of life, knowledge, science, business, etc.; the departments of an army or a factory.
2. n. A division of official duties or functions; a branch of government; a distinct part of a governmental organization: as, the legislative, executive, and judicial departments; the Department of State, of the Treasury, etc. See phrases below. The heads of the principal departments of the United States government are members of the President's cabinet. Abbreviated dept.
3. n. A division of territory; one of the provinces or principal districts into which some countries are divided for governmental or other purposes, such as the departments of France and the military administrative departments of the United States: as, the department of Saône-et-Loire in France; the department of the Platte.
4. n. A going away; departure.

Wiktionary

1. n. A part, portion, or subdivision.
2. n. A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like; appointed sphere or walk; province.
3. n. 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. n. A territorial division; a district; especially, in France, one of the districts composed of several arrondissements into which the country is divided for governmental purposes.
5. n. A military subdivision of a country; as, the Department of the Potomac.
6. n. obsolete Act of departing; departure.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. obsolete Act of departing; departure.
2. n. A part, portion, or subdivision.
3. n. A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like; appointed sphere or walk; province.
4. n. Subdivision of business or official duty; especially, one of the principal divisions of executive government; ; also, in a university, one of the divisions of instruction
5. n. 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.
6. n. A military subdivision of a country.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the territorial and administrative division of some countries (such as France)
2. n. a specialized division of a large organization
3. n. a specialized sphere of knowledge