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Divan
Definitions
- 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). historical
- 2 a long backless sofa (usually with pillows against a wall) wordnet
- 3 The council chamber where this court is held; (by extension), any court of justice.
- 4 a Muslim council chamber or law court wordnet
- 5 Any council or assembly. archaic
"Startled at such an unaccountable event, they sat in close divan; and concluding that the case was in all respects unnatural and prodigious, desired that a messenger might be immediately dispatched for some male practitioner in the art of midwifery."
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- 6 a collection of Persian or Arabic poems (usually by one author) wordnet
- 7 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.
"Eurydice pointed to the cupboard, and sat down on the low divan with folded hands, and looked at the floor."
- 8 a Muslim council of state wordnet
- 9 An establishment that serves cigars and coffee, and may offer other amenities such as books, newspapers, and chess. dated
"Near-synonym: smoking room"
- 10 An establishment that serves cigars and coffee, and may offer other amenities such as books, newspapers, and chess.; A drug or cigarette den. Hong-Kong, dated
"No person shall open, keep, manage or assist in the management of a divan where a dangerous drug is sold in the divan to be smoked, inhaled, ingested or injected therein; […]"
- 11 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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