DIVAN


Meaning of DIVAN in English

/ dɪˈvæn; NAmE ˈdaɪvæn/ noun

1.

(also diˌvan ˈbed ) (both BrE ) a bed with a thick base and a mattress

2.

a long low soft seat without a back or arms

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WORD ORIGIN

late 16th cent. (originally meaning a legislative body in the Middle East): via French or Italian from Turkish dīvān , from Persian dīwān anthology, register, court, or bench. As a piece of furniture, a divan was originally (early 18th cent.) a low bench or raised section of floor against an interior wall, used as a long seat and common in Middle Eastern countries; European imitation of this led to the sense low flat sofa or bed (late 19th cent.).

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.