bureau
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bureau¹
- /ˈbjʊ.ɹəʊ/ UK
- /ˈbjʊ.ɹə/ UK
- /ˈbjʊ.ɹoʊ/ US
- /ˈbjʊ.ɹə/ US
- /ˈbjɝ.oʊ/ US
- /ˈbjɝ.ə/ US
Rhymes with -ʊəɹəʊ, -ʊəɹə
Where it comes from
Unadapted borrowing from French bureau, earlier "coarse cloth (as desk cover), baize", from Old French burel (“woolen cloth”), diminutive of *bure (compare Middle French bure (“coarse woolen cloth”), French bourre (“hair, fluff”)), from Late Latin burra (“wool, fluff, shaggy cloth, coarse fabric”); akin to Ancient Greek βερβέριον (berbérion, “shabby garment”). Doublet of burel and borrel, taken from Old French.
noun bureaus · bureaux
- An administrative unit of government; office. Ashley Johnson is an energy, trade and economics expert at the National Bureau of Asian Research, based in the United States.
- An organization or office for collecting or providing information or news. a news bureau; a travel bureau; a service bureau; an employment bureau; the Citizens Advice Bureau
- An office (room where clerical or professional duties are performed). There was an eerie silence in the dorm [... in] the factory. [...] The lamp glowed in his bureau, warm and reassuring and, through the window, I could see his papers strewn across the desk. [...] I called his name again. A movement from his bureau. [...] I banged on his door until it opened a crack[
- A desk, usually with a cover and compartments that are located above the level of the writing surface rather than underneath, and often used for storing papers.
- A chest of drawers for clothes.
Bureau²
proper noun
- A surname from French.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: agency, authority, office, chest, dresser, government agency, directorate, administration, secretary, secretariat, committee, presidency, council, services, department, leadership
Translations
Every language
noun unit of governance, office
| हिन्दी | मंत्रालय mantrālay, विभाग vibhāg |
|---|---|
| Français | bureau |
| Deutsch | Büro |
| Русский | бюро́ bjuró, конто́ра kontóra, о́фис ófis, канцеля́рия kanceljárija |
| עברית | מִשְׂרָד misrád |
noun office (room)
| 한국어 | 사무실 samusil, 사무소 samuso, 오피스 opiseu |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 事務室 jimushitsu, オフィス ofisu, 事務所 jimusho |
| 中文 | 署 shǔ, 局 jú, 辦公室 /办公室 bàngōngshì, 事務所 /事务所 shìwùsuǒ |
| हिन्दी | कार्यालय kāryālay, कार्यशाला kāryaśālā |
| Português | escritório, birô |
| Français | agence, bureau |
| Deutsch | Büro |
| Italiano | ufficio |
| Ελληνικά | γραφείο grafeío |
| Română | birou |
| Русский | о́фис ófis, конто́ра kontóra, бюро́ bjuró |
| Tiếng Việt | văn phòng, sự giúp đỡ |
| العربية | مَكْتَب maktab |
| עברית | לִשְׁכָּה lishká |
noun desk
| Español | buró |
|---|---|
| Português | mesa, escrivaninha, birô |
| Français | secrétaire, bureau |
| Deutsch | Sekretär, Schreibtisch, Büro |
| Italiano | scrivania, scrittoio |
| Română | birou |
| Русский | бюро́ bjuró, пи́сьменный стол písʹmennyj stol, конто́рка kontórka, секрете́р sekretɛ́r |
| العربية | مَكْتَب maktab |
| עברית | מִכְתָּבָה makhtevá |
noun chest of drawers for clothes
| Español | cómoda |
|---|---|
| Português | cômoda, cômodas |
| Français | chiffonnier, commode |
| Deutsch | Kommode |
| Italiano | cassettone, comò |
| Русский | комо́д komód, шифонье́р šifonʹjér |
Talk about this word "bureau." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bureau. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. bureau. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bureau "bureau." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bureau.Cite this
@misc{bureau_2026,
title = {bureau},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bureau},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
