department English · revision 3547

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1450|origins=la partīre}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /dɪˈpɑːt.mənt/, US /dɪˈpɑːrt.mənt/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|departement]], [[bor|frm|departement|t=division, sharing out; departure]] (modern [[m|fr|département]]),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002) from [[m|fro|departir|t=to divide]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(AHD 2000)^(MWU 2024) from [[la-lat|dēpartīre|t=to divide]],^(Etymonline) from [[m|la|dē-|t=from]] and [[m|la|partīre|t=to part, divide]],^(Etymonline) from [[m|la|pars|t=part, share]].^(Etymonline) Etymonline traces it to [[ine-pro|*pere-|t=to grant, allot]].^(Etymonline) It is related to [[depart]] and [[part]].^(AHD 2000)^(Klein 1966)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Departure, also death: about 1450,^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988) or about 1500 according to Etymonline;^(Etymonline) the SOED gives division or partition as its first, rare, sense.^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The early senses, “departure” and “division, distribution”, are now obsolete.^(SOED 2002)^(OED 1989) French ''département'' also came to mean a group of people,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and English took from it the sense “separate division, a province of business assigned to someone”, recorded before 1735 in Johnson's dictionary.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MW Collegiate) One of the branches of state or municipal administration is a ''department'' from 1769,^(OED 1989) and one of the administrative districts of France from 1792.^(OED 1989) ''Departmental'' is from 1791,^(Barnhart 1988) and ''department store'' from 1887.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1450 – departure; death (obsolete).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1677 – division, distribution (obsolete).^(OED 1989)

+ * before 1735 – a separate branch or province of work.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1769 – a branch of government.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1791 – ''departmental''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1792 – a French administrative district.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1887 – ''department store''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A distinct, usually specialized division of a large organization, such as a [[government]], business, school or [[university]].^(AHD)^(SOED 2002)

+ # One of the administrative districts of France.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+ # ''(informal)'' An area of special skill or responsibility: ''that's not my department''.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[departmental]]

+ * [[departmentally]]

+ * [[subdepartment]]

+ * [[interdepartmental]]

+ * [[department store]]

+ * [[fire department]]

+ * [[state department]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[depart]]

+ * [[part]]

+ * [[departure]]

+ * [[partition]]

+ * [[particle]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}