Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Department
1.
Act of departing; departure.
[Obs.]
Sudden
departments
from one extreme to another. Wotton.
2.
A part, portion, or subdivision.
3.
A distinct course of life, action, study, or the like; appointed sphere or walk; province.
Superior to Pope in Pope’s own peculiar
department
of literature. Macaulay.
4.
Subdivision of business or official duty; especially, one of the principal divisions of executive government;
as, the treasury
; also, in a university, one of the divisions of instruction; department
; the war department
as, the medical
department
; the department
of physics.5.
A territorial division; a district; esp., in France, one of the districts composed of several arrondissements into which the country is divided for governmental purposes;
as, the
. Department
of the Loire6.
A military subdivision of a country;
as, the
. Department
of the PotomacWebster 1828 Edition
Department
DEPARTMENT
, n.1.
Literally, a separation or division; hence, a separate part, or portion; a division of territory; as the departments of France.2.
A separate allotment or part of business; a distinct province, in which a class of duties are allotted to a particular person; as the department of state, assigned to the secretary of state; the treasury department; the department of war.3.
A separate station; as, the admirals had their respective departments. Nearly in this sense, during war, were used in America, the terms, Northern and Southern departments.