An example of a department is a faculty group, building and program dedicated to the subject of English in a college.
- a separate part, division, or branch, as of a government, business, or school: the police department, the accounting department, the history department
- a field of knowledge or activity: rewriting is his department
- ⌂ a specialized column or section appearing regularly in a periodical
- an administrative district in France, Greece, or certain Latin American countries
Origin of departmentMiddle English and amp; Old French departement ; from departir: see depart
- A distinct, usually specialized division of a large organization, especially:a. A principal administrative division of a government: the department of public works.b. A division of a business specializing in a particular product or service: the personnel department.c. A division of a school or college dealing with a particular field of knowledge: the physics department.
- Department One of the principal executive divisions of the federal government of the United States, headed by a cabinet officer.
- A section of a department store selling a particular line of merchandise: the home furnishings department.
- An administrative district in France.
- A unit of a warship's crew, organized by function, such as gunnery or engineering.
- An area of particular knowledge or responsibility; a specialty: Getting the kids to bed is my department.
Origin of departmentFrench département, from Old French, separation, from departir, to divide; see depart.
- A part, portion, or subdivision.
- A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like; appointed sphere or walk; province.
- 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.
- 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.
- A military subdivision of a country; as, the Department of the Potomac.
From French département.