DIVAN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does divan mean? 

• DIVAN (noun)
  The noun DIVAN has 4 senses:

1. a long backless sofa (usually with pillows against a wall)

2. a Muslim council of state

3. a collection of Persian or Arabic poems (usually by one author)

4. a Muslim council chamber or law court

  Familiarity information: DIVAN used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DIVAN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A long backless sofa (usually with pillows against a wall)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("divan" is a kind of...):

couch; lounge; sofa (an upholstered seat for more than one person)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A Muslim council of state

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

divan; diwan

Hypernyms ("divan" is a kind of...):

privy council (an advisory council to a ruler (especially to the British Crown))

Sense 3

Meaning:

A collection of Persian or Arabic poems (usually by one author)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

divan; diwan

Hypernyms ("divan" is a kind of...):

anthology (a collection of selected literary passages)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A Muslim council chamber or law court

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

divan; diwan

Hypernyms ("divan" is a kind of...):

boardroom; council chamber (a room where a committee meets (such as the board of directors of a company))

chamber (a room where a judge transacts business)

 Context examples 

With these he constructed a sort of Eastern divan, upon which he perched himself cross-legged, with an ounce of shag tobacco and a box of matches laid out in front of him.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless and with her chin raised a little as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)