department

English

/dɪˈpɑːtm(ə)nt/, /dəˈpɑɹtmənt/

noun
Definitions
  • A part, portion, or subdivision.
  • A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like.
  • A subdivision of an organization.
  • A territorial division; a district; especially, in France, one of the districts into which the country is divided for governmental purposes, similar to a county in the UK and in the USA. France is composed of 101 départements organized in 18 régions, each department is divided into arrondissements, in turn divided into cantons.
  • (historical) A military subdivision of a country
  • (obsolete) Act of departing; departure.

Etymology

Borrowed from French département (department).

Origin

French

département

Gloss

department

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms