War Department: Meaning and Definition of

War' Depart"ment

Pronunciation: [key]
— U.S. Hist. U.S. Hist.
  1. the department of the federal government that, from 1789 until 1947, was responsible for defense and the military establishment: in 1947 it became the Department of the Army, which became part of the Department of Defense when it was established in 1949.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.