18 U.S.C. § 6 — Department and agency defined

This section defines two words for Title 18. "Department" normally means one of the executive departments listed in section 1 of Title 5 (things like the Department of State or the Department of the Treasury). But if the context shows the word was meant more broadly — to describe the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of government as a whole — then it means that instead. "Agency" is a broader term. It includes any department, independent establishment, commission, administration, authority, board, or bureau of the United States, and it also includes any corporation the United States has an ownership interest in. That broad meaning applies unless the context shows the word was meant in a more limited sense.