divan

Meaning

Noun

• 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).
• The council chamber where this court is held; , any court of justice.
• Any council or assembly.
• A couch- or sofa-like piece of furniture made of a mattress lying against the wall and either on the floor or an elevated structure.
• A smoking-room.
• A collection of poems, especially one written by one author in Arabic or Persian.

Origin

• Borrowed from French, from Ottoman Turkish دیوان, from Persian دیوان, from Middle Persian dywʾn', from Sumerian 𒁾. Compare mattress, from Arabic (both of Middle Eastern origin, due to the local custom of lying on padding on floor being foreign to Europeans). dewan, and douane.