Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A long backless sofa, especially one set with pillows against a wall.
- noun A counting room, tribunal, or public audience room in Muslim countries.
- noun The seat used by an administrator when holding audience.
- noun A government bureau or council chamber.
- noun A coffeehouse or smoking room.
- noun A book of poems, especially one written in Arabic or Persian by a single author.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A council, especially a council of state; specifically, in Turkey, the chief or privy council of the Porte, presided over by the grand vizir and made up of the ministers and heads of departments. It meets twice a week.
- noun A council-chamber; a hall; a court; a state- or reception-room in palaces and the houses of richer citizens.
- noun A kind of coffee-house where smoking tobacco is the principal enjoyment.
- noun A cushioned seat standing against the wall of a room; a kind of sofa: a sense derived by transfer from that of ‘council-chamber’ or ‘hall’ (def. 2) as furnished with low sofas, covered with rich carpets, and provided with many cushions.
- noun A book, especially a collection of poems by a single author: as, the divan of Sadi.
- noun [Used with reference to the Turks, Arabs, Persians, and other Orientals; in sense 4 also (in the form divan only) used in a general application.]
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Persia A book; esp., a collection of poems written by one author.
- noun In Turkey and other Oriental countries: A council of state; a royal court. Also used by the poets for a grand deliberative council or assembly.
- noun India A chief officer of state.
- noun A saloon or hall where a council is held, in Oriental countries, the state reception room in places, and in the houses of the richer citizens. Cushions on the floor or on benches are ranged round the room.
- noun A cushioned seat, or a large, low sofa or couch; especially, one fixed to its place, and not movable.
- noun colloq. A coffee and smoking saloon.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
couch - orsofa -like piece offurniture made of amattress lying against thewall and either on thefloor or an elevated structure (see Wikipedia's Divan_(furniture)). - noun historical A Muslim
council of state, such as that ofviziers of theOttoman Empire that discussed and recommended newlaws and law changes to a higher authority (thesultan ) (see Wikipedia's Divan). - noun A collection of poems, especially one written by one author in Arabic or Persian (see Wikipedia's Diwan_(poetry)).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a Muslim council chamber or law court
- noun a Muslim council of state
- noun a collection of Persian or Arabic poems (usually by one author)
- noun a long backless sofa (usually with pillows against a wall)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Chicken divan is one of those things that I think most families have a "version" of ... it definitely is a typical American comfort food.
Family Recipes: Chicken Divan, The Spiced Life Family Style Laura 2009
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Toby: Yes, the dictionaries give a word divan 'sofa, couch' and another '1.
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King, where the divan was already assembled, and the King had taken his seat on the throne.
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Opposite the divan is a great bay-window, with a divan likewise round the niche.
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I sleep on a small divan, which is only five feet long, so we have to add a few chairs to make it longer.
The Diary Of A Young Girl Frank, Anne, 1929-1945 1991
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There was no upholstered furniture in which anything could have been concealed; even the divan was a rattan affair; there were only rugs upon the floors.
An American Suffragette Isaac N. Stevens
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Within the horseshoe curve was a genuine Turkish divan, that is to say, a mattress resting directly upon the floor, a mattress as large as a bed, a divan fifty feet in circumference and covered with white cashmere, relieved by tufts of black and poppy-red silk arranged in a diamond pattern.
Honore de Balzac Albert Keim 1911
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At the far end of the room, stirring, slowly oozing from under the divan was a-- a Thing!
The Cost 1904
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Covering the divan was a fine piece of Bokhara embroidery.
The Drums of Jeopardy Harold MacGrath 1901
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At the far end of the room, stirring, slowly oozing from under the divan was a-- a Thing!
The Cost David Graham Phillips 1889
GHibbs commented on the word divan
In the UK a 'divan' is usually a normal height single bed on castors, without a headboard or foot board. There may be drawers in the section under the mattress.
Both of my divans have a sprung mattress and the base is also sprung but not to the same standard. One can sleep fairly comfortably on the base and so allow someone else to use the mattress.
June 5, 2012