bureau
[ byoo r-oh ]
/ ˈbyʊər oʊ /
noun, plural bu·reaus, bu·reaux [byoo r-ohz] /ˈbyʊər oʊz/.
a chest of drawers, often with a mirror at the top.
a division of a government department or an independent administrative unit.
an office for collecting or distributing news or information, coordinating work, or performing specified services; agency: a travel bureau; a news bureau.
Chiefly British.
a desk or writing table with drawers for papers.
Origin of bureau
1710–20; < French: desk, office, originally a kind of cloth (used to cover desks, etc.), Anglo-French, Old French
burel, equivalent to
bur- (probably <
*būra, variant of Late Latin
burra wool, fluff; cf.
bourrée) +
-el noun suffix
OTHER WORDS FROM bureau
sub·bu·reau, noun, plural sub·bu·reaus, sub·bu·reaux.Words nearby bureau
Example sentences from the Web for bureau
British Dictionary definitions for bureau
bureau
/ (ˈbjʊərəʊ) /
noun plural -reaus or -reaux (-rəʊz)
mainly British
a writing desk with pigeonholes, drawers, etc, against which the writing surface can be closed when not in use
US
a chest of drawers
an office or agency, esp one providing services for the public
- a government department
- a branch of a government department
Word Origin for bureau
C17: from French: desk, office, originally: type of cloth used for covering desks and tables, from Old French
burel, from Late Latin
burra shaggy cloth