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Intermediate Dictionary
       

bu·reau

bureau

 
 
pronunciation:
byU ro
features:
Word History, Word Explorer
part of speech: noun
inflections: bureaus, bureaux
definition 1: a chest of drawers.
I keep all of my shirts and pants in one bureau.
 
synonyms:
dresser
similar words:
cabinet, chest, wardrobe
definition 2: a department in a government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is one department of the United States government.
synonyms:
agency, department, service
similar words:
division
definition 3: an office or department that is responsible for certain jobs.
The news bureau gives important information to the people.
synonyms:
department
similar words:
agency, branch, division, office, service
Word History
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.
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