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Glite Dictionary
Department of the Interior

Department of the Interior

8 4.2
A United States government department that manages national parks and public lands
  • proper noun
  • /dɪˈpɑrtmənt əv ði ɪnˈtɪriər/
  • Formal
translation icon : Departamento del Interior
  • The Department of the Interior oversees national parks and wildlife refuges across the United States.
  • U.S. Department of the Interior
  • US Department of the Interior
  • Department of the Interior (DOI)

Examples

  • In 1933, Taylor became an assistant solicitor at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

    Academic text (1993)

  • In March of this year, four proposals were provided for comment by the Department of the Interior.

    Blog text (32)

  • In 1955, Congress transferred total responsibility for Indian health from the Department of the Interior to the Public Health Service.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The Department of the Interior agreed to consider the land contiguous and place it in trust.

    Academic text (2017)

  • The Department of the Interior then delegated its portion of the case to the National Park Service.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The U.S. Department of the Interior, comprised of eight bureaus, is the nation's principal natural resource management agency.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Support legislation to reorganize MMS and move it from the Department of the Interior to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

    Academic text (2010)

  • In the ensuing confusion, however, the Department of the Interior invalidated the election because of insufficient voter participation.

    Academic text (1999)

  • During the meeting, representatives from the Department of the Interior discussed new policies for conservation.

  • She was appointed to a position within the Department of the Interior to help manage federal lands.

Synonyms

Interior
vsDepartment of the Interior
  • US
57 4.6

A United States government department that manages national parks and public land

focuses on managing and conserving rather than promoting development of lands
Interior Department
vsDepartment of the Interior
  • US
8 3.8

A United States government department that protects and manages national parks and public lands

is the standard official phrasing rather than the altered word order
DoI
vsDepartment of the Interior
  • Formal
2 8.1

United States government department that manages national parks and public lands

is the full official name used in formal contexts and documents

Surface Forms

Department of the Interior main

Morphology

department + of + the + Interior

Although the constituents 'department' and 'interior' are individually transparent, the proper-name use and institutional scope of 'Department of the Interior' (managing federal lands and natural resources in the U.S.) is not predictable from the parts. The capitalized, bureaucratic name is a fixed institutional label whose specific functions vary cross-linguistically (e.g. 'Interior' ministries often cover internal affairs or policing), so a B1 learner knowing the words would likely not infer the correct meaning.

Etymology

The name Department of the Interior comes from an older use of interior, meaning things 'inside' the country. So it is the government office that looks after the country's land and natural resources, which is why today it manages national parks and public lands.