département [day-pahr-tehr-MAHN]
A French term referring to an administrative area that’s similiar to a county within a state in the United States. The French mainland has ninety-five départements grouped into twenty-two regions.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.