bu·reau
bureau
- pronunciation:
- byU
ro
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| inflections: |
bureaus, bureaux |
| definition 1: |
a chest of drawers, often with a mirror.
He always lays his keys and coins on top of the bureau.The middle drawer of the bureau is where these shirts should go.
- synonyms:
- chest of drawers, dresser
- similar words:
- cabinet, chest, chiffonier, commode, dressing table, wardrobe
|
| definition 2: |
a governmental department.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.- synonyms:
- agency, department, office, service
- similar words:
- division
|
| definition 3: |
an office or department, often a subdivision of an organization, that performs specific functions.
She joined one of the major news bureaus last year.The university's housing bureau should be able to help you.- synonyms:
- department
- similar words:
- agency, branch, division, office, service, subdivision
|
| related words: |
department |
The word
bureau comes from an early French word for a coarse woolen cloth used to cover a desk.
Bureau became the word for desk, and then for the office in which the desk stood.