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divan

Pronunciation: /dɪˈvæn/

The English word “divan” has 7 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. A Muslim council of state, specifically that of viziers of the Ottoman Empire that discussed and recommended new laws and law changes to a higher authority (the sultan).
  2. The council chamber where this court is held; (by extension), any court of justice.
  3. Any council or assembly.
  4. A couch or sofa-like piece of furniture made of a mattress lying against the wall and on either the floor or an elevated structure.
  5. An establishment that serves cigars and coffee, and may offer other amenities such as books, newspapers, and chess.
  6. A drug or cigarette den.
  7. A collection of poems, especially one written by an author in Arabic or Persian.

Etymology

Borrowed from French, from Ottoman Turkish دیوان (divan), from Classical Persian دیوان (dēwān), from Middle Persian d(p)ywʾn' (dēwān, “archive, collected writings”), from Sumerian 𒁾 (dub). Compare mattress, from Arabic (both of Middle Eastern origin, due to the local custom of lying on padding on floor being foreign to Europeans). Doublet of dewan, douane, and diwaniya.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.