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   di·van

   /ˈdīˌvan/

   noun

   • 1. a long low sofa without a back or arms, typically placed against a wall.
   • 2. a legislative body, council chamber, or court of justice in the Ottoman Empire or elsewhere in the Middle East. historical

   Word Origin late 16th century (in divan (sense 3 of the noun)): via French or Italian from Turkish dīvān, from Persian dīwān ‘anthology, register, court, or bench’; compare with diwan. As a piece of furniture, a divan was originally (early 18th century) a low bench or raised section of floor against an interior wall, used as a long seat and common in Middle Eastern countries; European imitation of this led to the sense ‘low flat sofa or bed’ (late 19th century).

   Scrabble Points: 9

   • D

     2

   • I

     1

   • V

     4

   • A

     1

   • N

     1

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