dept

Dept is an abbreviation of department, a major organizational unit within a larger entity such as a company, government agency, school, or hospital. A department concentrates on a specific set of functions or knowledge areas, for example sales, engineering, finance, or human resources, and typically reports to a higher-level manager or executive. The department concept supports organizational design by delimiting authority, responsibilities, and workflows.

In written English, dept is commonly used in informal contexts and signage, while dept. with a period is common in American usage; in formal documents the full form "Department" is preferred. In official names, the word Department often appears capitalized as part of a proper noun, such as the Department of Education. Within colleges and universities, departments are academic units that offer courses and supervise research, sometimes organized under faculties or schools.

In government, departments function as principal policy and service divisions; in multinational organizations, departments coordinate cross-functional work and interact through governance structures and committees.

Etymology: the term derives from "department" which originates from the broader idea of dividing an organization into parts. Related terms include division, bureau, office, and unit; "department store" has a distinct meaning related to retail rather than organizational units.