Main Entry:

di·van

Pronunciation:

\di-ˈvan, ˈdī-ˌvan, especially in senses 1, 2, & 4 also di-ˈvän, dī-ˈvan\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Turkish, from Persian dīvān account book

Date:

1586

1 a: the privy council of the Ottoman Empire b: council2: a council chamber3: a large couch usually without back or arms often designed for use as a bed4: a collection of poems in Persian or Arabic usually by one author