bureau
[ byoor-oh ]
/ ˈbyʊər oʊ /
noun, plural bu·reaus, bu·reaux [byoor-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.
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What does "scattergood" mean?
a person who acts as though he or she knows everything and who dismisses the opinions, comments, or suggestions of others.
a person who spends possessions or money extravagantly or wastefully; spendthrift.
a well-intentioned but naive and often ineffectual social or political reformer.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUTOrigin 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
subbureau, noun, plural sub·bu·reaus, sub·bu·reaux.Words nearby bureau
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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