divan

noun

di·​van di-ˈvan How to pronounce divan (audio) ˈdī-ˌvan How to pronounce divan (audio)
 especially in senses 1, 2, and 4 also  di-ˈvän,
dī-ˈvan
1
a
: the privy council of the Ottoman Empire
b
2
: a council chamber
3
: a large couch usually without back or arms often designed for use as a bed
4
: a collection of poems in Persian or Arabic usually by one author

Examples of divan in a Sentence

whenever I stayed over at their house I usually slept on the divan in the living room
Recent Examples on the Web In the living room, curtains in yellows, pinks, and reds reminiscent of early autumn hung above a divan dressed with striped lumbar and couch pillows which gallerist Alex Tieghi-Walker would later cover himself with, as his version of being dressed in Le Réunion clothing. Maria Geyman, Vogue, 29 Nov. 2023 Platinum blond crabeater seals lounged on divans of drifting ice, basking in the sun. Kate Wong, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2023 Pluto was on break, resting on a divan. Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2022 But taken in toto, this charmingly rumpled director-writer with a three-day beard sitting on a divan in a New York hotel room is a Renaissance man, having directed dozens of music videos and ads and designed further dozens of album covers, usually for independent artists. Randee Dawn, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2022 The small ink-on-paper work shows a half-clothed female figure, with extra arms and legs, reclining on a divan. New York Times, 7 Feb. 2021 For instance, the designers covered a linear divan in a leafy green velvet edged with a casually rustic jute fringe. Michelle Slatalla, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2022 Across the room, reclining nudes are arranged along a wall, including a 1990 male nude made of glass by Richard Jolley and an 1892 oil by Frank Duveneck of a woman stretched across what appears to be a divan. Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Jan. 2022 Passenger seating was 2 fouroccupant divans, one facing forward, the other rearward. New York Times, 7 Feb. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'divan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Turkish, from Persian dīvān account book

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of divan was in 1586

Dictionary Entries Near divan

Cite this Entry

“Divan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/divan. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

divan

noun
: a large couch often with no back or arms

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