Divan

Quick meaning: Divan is a noun meaning The council chamber where this court is held; (by extension), any court of justice.

Meaning

The council chamber where this court is held; (by extension), any court of justice.

More Meanings

1. (now rare) Any council or assembly.
2. A collection of poems, especially one written by an author in Arabic or Persian.
3. (now historical) 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).
4. (furniture) 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. (dated) An establishment that serves cigars and coffee, and may offer other amenities such as books, newspapers, and chess.

Example Sentences

Near-synonym: smoking room

As I passed, I called at the mad-house; where I found Mac Fane and the scowling keeper in high divan.

Eurydice pointed to the cupboard, and sat down on the low divan with folded hands, and looked at the floor.

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.

Word Forms

• divans

Synonyms for divan

Depending on context, synonyms include smoking room, diwan.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include diwan, dewan, office, palace, bureau, collection.

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