- pronunciation:
- byU
ro
- features:
- Word History
| part of speech: |
noun |
| inflections: |
bureaus, bureaux |
| definition 1: |
an office or department of a business or government that is responsible for specific kinds of work.
John works for a credit bureau.The Federal Bureau of Investigation is part of the U.S. government.- synonyms:
- department
- similar words:
- agency, branch, division, office, service
|
| definition 2: |
a piece of furniture with drawers. People often keep clothes in a bureau.
- synonyms:
- dresser
- similar words:
- cabinet, chest
|
| 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.