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Divan

Furnishings
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A low, cushioned sofa or couch, often placed against a wall. It can evoke conversation, repose, and richly furnished interiors.

Detailed Definition
A divan is a broad, low couch associated with reclining conversation, hospitality, and richly layered interiors. In poetry, its cushions may suggest sensual ease or the slow passage of an afternoon spent talking, dreaming, or grieving. The object can carry historical associations with salons, parlors, and Eastern-inspired decorative fantasies. A divan crowded with shawls and pillows may create warmth and abundance, while an empty one can leave a room feeling expectant, as though a conversation has just ended or is about to begin.
Example
Example in poetry:
“She lay upon the divan, listening to rain revise the window” uses the divan as a setting for stillness and reflection; A poet may describe a faded divan to suggest inherited luxury or domestic decay; “On the divan, our quarrel cooled between two embroidered cushions” makes the furniture witness an intimate scene; In a poem about travel, a divan can evoke an Eastern-inspired room, leisure, or old-world elegance
Additional Notes
In a poem, a divan can create an atmosphere of leisure, intimacy, or luxury. Its low, reclining form may suggest storytelling, conversation, idleness, or an exoticized interior; compare couch, chaise longue, and settee.
Also Known As
Daybed Couch Sofa chaise
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