Department Noun Bre Dɪˈpɑːtmənt Dɪˈpɑːrtmənt Health Treasury Government/University

• the department of health
• the treasury department
• a government/university, etc. department
• the marketing/sales, etc. department

department

1. a section of a large organization such as a government, business, university, etc.
• see also police department
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/police-department
• the Department of Health
• the Treasury Department
• a government/university, etc. department
• the marketing/sales, etc. department
• the children’s department (= in a large store)
• the English department
2. to be something that somebody is responsible for or knows a lot about
• Don't ask me about it—that's her department.

Extra Examples

• A new member of staff has joined the department.
• Complaints are dealt with in a different department.
• Contact our sales department for more information.
• Staff criticized the way the history department was run.
• The Tokyo police department is clamping down on organized crime.
• the Department for Transport
• the Department of Planning
• to gain promotion within the department
• I work in the sales department.
• Several professors from the history department will also speak at the event.
• The Department of Trade and Industry refused to comment on the allegations.
• The children’s department sells a wide range of good quality clothes.

Word Origin

• late Middle English: from Old French departement, from departir, based on Latin dispertire ‘to divide’. The original sense was ‘division or distribution’, later ‘separation’, hence ‘a separate part’ (core sense, mid 18th cent.).