department

de·part·ment  (d-pärtmnt)

n.

1. 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.

2. Department One of the principal executive divisions of the federal government of the United States, headed by a cabinet officer.

3. A section of a department store selling a particular line of merchandise: the home furnishings department.

4. An administrative district in France.

5. A unit of a warship's crew, organized by function, such as gunnery or engineering.

6. An area of particular knowledge or responsibility; a specialty: Getting the kids to bed is my department.

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[French département, from Old French, separation, from departir, to divide; see depart.]

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depart·mental (dpärt-mntl) adj.

depart·mental·ly adv.

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department

Noun

1. a specialized division of a large business organization, hospital, university, etc.

2. a major subdivision of the administration of a government

3. an administrative division in several countries, such as France

4. Informal a specialized sphere of activity: wine-making is my wife's department [French département]

departmental adj

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	department - a specialized division of a large organization; "you'll find it in the hardware department"; "she got a job in the historical section of the Treasury" section academic department - a division of a school that is responsible for a given subject business department - a division of a business firm personnel department, personnel office, staff office, personnel - the department responsible for hiring and training and placing employees and for setting policies for personnel management government department - a department of government payroll department, payroll - the department that determines the amounts of wage or salary due to each employee security department, security - a department responsible for the security of the institution's property and workers; "the head of security was a former policeman" division - an administrative unit in government or business
	2.	department - the territorial and administrative division of some countries (such as France) administrative district, administrative division, territorial division - a district defined for administrative purposes country, land, state - the territory occupied by a nation; "he returned to the land of his birth"; "he visited several European countries" France, French Republic - a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
	3.	department - a specialized sphere of knowledge; "baking is not my department"; "his work established a new department of literature" sector, sphere - a particular aspect of life or activity; "he was helpless in an important sector of his life"

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department

noun 1. section, office, unit, station, division, branch, bureau, subdivision

noun 2. (Informal) area, line, responsibility, function, province, sphere, realm, domain, speciality

Translations

department [dɪˈpɑːtmənt] n (COMM) → sección f;

(SCOL) → departamento;

(POL) → ministerio;

that's not my department (fig) → no tiene que ver conmigo;

Department of State (US) → Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores

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department [dɪˈpɑːtmənt] n (Comm) → rayon m;

(Scol) → section f;

(Pol) → ministère m, département m;

that's not my department (fig) → ce n'est pas mon domaine or ma compétence, ce n'est pas mon rayon;

Department of State (US) → Département d'État

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department [dɪˈpɑːtmənt] n → Abteilung f;

(Scol) → Fachbereich m;

(Pol) → Ministerium nt;

that's not my department (fig) → dafür bin ich nicht zuständig;

Department of State (US) → Außenministerium nt

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department [dɪˈpɑːtmənt] n (COMM) → reparto;

(SCOL) → sezione f; dipartimento;

(POL) → ministero;

that's not my department (also fig) → questo non è di mia competenza;

Department of State (US) → Dipartimento di Stato