Skip to main content
subdepartment

subdepartment

4.4
A smaller part of a department that does specific tasks
  • noun
  • /ˌsʌb.dɪˈpɑːrt.mənt/
translation icon : subdepartamento
  • The subdepartment is busy.

Examples

  • After the reorganization, a new subdepartment was created to manage digital marketing.

  • Each subdepartment is responsible for a specific set of tasks within the main department.

  • The finance subdepartment handles all internal audits for the company.

  • Our subdepartments are efficient.

  • The marketing team was divided into several subdepartments to handle different aspects of the campaign.

  • Each subdepartment within the organization has its own budget and objectives.

  • The research subdepartment focused on developing new technologies for the main department.

Synonyms

section
vssubdepartment
389 2.4

A group within a larger organization, like an orchestra or company team

is narrower and sits inside a single department
subsection
vssubdepartment
42 3.4

A smaller part of a section about one topic

is for organizational units rather than parts of documents
subpart
vssubdepartment
28 7.2

A smaller section inside a larger section, for example in a book or manual

is used specifically for an organizational unit inside a department
subdivision
vssubdepartment
2 4.1

A smaller part of something that has been split, like a chapter or section

is specifically a unit inside a larger department
subbranch
vssubdepartment
3.8

A smaller part of a larger organization that works in a local area

focuses on being inside a department rather than extending from a branch

How Big

division
358 3.2
department
1.8
subdepartment
4.4
section
389 2.4
unit
2.8
team
1.0

Surface Forms

subdepartment singular

Morphology

subdepartment = department (transparent) = sub + department

The meaning is a straightforward combination of the productive prefix 'sub-' ('under' or 'secondary') with the noun 'department' to indicate a smaller or subordinate division.

Etymology

Subdepartment is made from the small part sub- meaning 'under' and department, which comes from a word for 'part' or section of an organization. So a subdepartment is a smaller, 'under' part of a department, which is why it means a smaller division within a larger department.