| 释义 |
de·part·ment
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 > |