Main Entry: de·part·ment

Pronunciation: \di-ˈpärt-mənt\

Function: noun

Etymology: French département, from Old French, act of dividing, from departir

Date: 1735

1 a : a distinct sphere : province <that's not my department> b : a category consisting especially of a measurable activity or attribute <lacking in the trustworthiness department — Garrison Keillor>
2 : a functional or territorial division: as a : a major administrative division of a government b : a major territorial administrative subdivision c : a division of a college or school giving instruction in a particular subject d : a major division of a business e : a section of a department store handling a particular kind of merchandise f : a territorial subdivision made for the administration and training of military units

— de·part·men·tal \di-ˌpärt-ˈmen-t^əl, ˌdē-\ adjective

— de·part·men·tal·ly \-tə-lē\ adverb