I. də̇ˈpärtmənt, dēˈ-, -pȧt- noun
( -s )
Etymology: French département, from Middle French departement, from departir to divide + -ment — more at depart
1. : appointed sphere or province (as of activity or thought)
Pope's own peculiar department of literature — T.B.Macaulay
2.
a. : a discrete territorial or functional division or section of a larger organized or systematized whole
good taste … goes into every department of life — Elspeth Betjeman
as
(1) : the largest administrative subdivision in France and some of the French colonies presided over by a prefect
(2)
[American Spanish departamento, from French département ]
: a similar territorial division in some Central and So. American countries
b. : an administrative division or branch of a national or municipal government
the welfare department
c. : a discrete branch of instruction or study in a school or college
the English department
the department of modern languages
d.
(1) : a division of a business concern handling a major function
the accounting department
(2) : a division of a store handling a distinct class of merchandise
the furniture department
dry goods department
e.
(1) : a territorial subdivision for the administration, training, and tactical control of military units stationed within its limits
(2) usually capitalized : such a former subdivision of the possessions of the United States outside the continental limits
3. : a regular column or feature devoted to a particular subject in a publication or radio program
II. noun
: a category consisting especially of a measurable activity or attribute
lacking in the trustworthiness department — Garrison Keillor