Dictionary

bureau en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• byərʹə (US)
• /ˈbjʊ.ɹoʊ/ (US)
• byərʹō (US)
• byo͝orʹə (UK)
• /ˈbjʊ.ɹə/ (UK)
• (US) audio
• /ˈbjʊ.ɹəʊ/ (UK)
• /ˈbjʊ.ɹə/ (US)
• byo͝orʹō (UK)
• /ˈbjɝ.ə/ (US)
• (New-England) audio
• /ˈbjɝ.oʊ/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ Proto-Hellenic *pāwər Ancient Greek πῦρ (pûr) Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Hellenic *-rós Ancient Greek -ρός (-rós) Ancient Greek πῠρρός (pŭrrhós)bor. Latin burrus Latin burra Old French *bure Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin -ellus Old French -el Old French burel French bureauubor. English bureau 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.

Meanings

1. 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. 2018, VOA Learning English > China's Melting Glacier Brings Visitors, Adds to Climate Concerns:
2. An organization or office for collecting or providing information or news.
   • Newt Gingrich gives powerful testimony to the appeal of “the last word in content providership” — speakers’ bureaus. 2012 May 5, Henry Alford, “Future TED Talks”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 May 2012:
   • a news bureau; a travel bureau; a service bureau; an employment bureau; the Citizens Advice Bureau
3. An office (room where clerical or professional duties are performed).
   • Both my ability to comprehend what is being said [in French] and my ability to fake comprehension have improved expeditiously. Monsieur holds the door open for me as we step inside his bureau. No one looks up as we enter. He offers me a seat, and when I fail to take it he returns to my side of the desk [...]. 2010, Ellie Nielsen, Buying a Piece of Paris: A Memoir, page 17:
   • Nick opened the bureau door and told Joan he was going to find Susan. He walked to the cafeteria, but it was empty. He went back to the bureau, and asked Joan to check the restrooms. 2015, Dan Riker, The Blue Girl Murders, page 287:
   • 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[. ...] He pushed me out onto the staircase. "Get out," he screamed. The door to his bureau slammed in my face. 2015, Victoria Delderfield, Secret Mother:
4. (UK) 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.
5. (Northeastern, US) A chest of drawers for clothes.

Forms

Deriveds

credit bureau · telebureau · subbureau · multibureau · bu · marriage bureau · bu. · International Time Bureau · bureaucrat · bureau de change · QSL bureau · bureausis · bureaugamous · extrabureau

Relateds

bureaucracy · bureaugamy · bureaucrat · burel · bureau plat · bureaucratic · bureau-ocracy · bureau de change

Synonyms

bu · bu.

Translations (169)

uk бюро́ (unit of governance, office) · fi lipasto (chest of drawers for clothes) · ru о́фис (office (room)) · fr agence (office (room)) · tr büro (office (room)) · ro birou (desk) · vi văn phòng (office (room)) · ru шифонье́р (chest of drawers for clothes) · nb byrå (office (room)) · bg о́фис (unit of governance, office) · sh bìrō (office (room)) · ko 사무소 (office (room)) · hi मंत्रालय (unit of governance, office) · fr bureau (unit of governance, office) · tg дафтар (office (room)) · cmn 署 (office (room)) · pt escritório (office (room)) · cs úřad (unit of governance, office) · sh бѝро̄ (office (room)) · it cassettone (chest of drawers for clothes) · pt birô (office (room)) · bg бюро́ (office (room)) · mt burò (chest of drawers for clothes) · hu szekreter (desk) · cs kancelář (unit of governance, office) · fa-ira اِدارِه (office (room)) · nl bureau (desk) · vi sự giúp đỡ (office (room)) · km ការិយាល័យ (office (room)) · hy գրասեղան (desk) · ru бюро́ (for the collection and provision of information) · he מִשְׂרָד (unit of governance, office) · sv byrå (chest of drawers for clothes) · fr secrétaire (desk) · it scrittoio (desk) · mk канцеларија (unit of governance, office) · tl kawanihan (office (room)) · pl biuro (for the collection and provision of information) · it comò (chest of drawers for clothes) · ms biro (office (room)) · ru бюро́ (desk) · ar مَكْتَب (desk) · uk конто́ра (unit of governance, office) · kk бюро (office (room)) · el γραφείο (office (room)) · pl urząd (unit of governance, office) · fy buro (desk) · crh büro (office (room)) · fi työpöytä (desk) · fi kirjoituspöytä (desk) · nl kast (chest of drawers for clothes) · ru канцеля́рия (unit of governance, office) · nn sekretær (desk) · pt birô (desk) · uk конто́ра (office (room)) · az büro (office (room)) · de Sekretär (desk) · ru комо́д (chest of drawers for clothes) · hy բյուրո (office (room)) · cmn 辦公室 /办公室 (office (room)) · ko 오피스 (office (room)) · ja 事務室 (office (room)) · be о́фіс (unit of governance, office) · ro birou (office (room)) · bg канцела́рия (unit of governance, office) · uz idora (office (room)) · da bureau (for the collection and provision of information) · my ဗျူရို (unit of governance, office) · ja オフィス (office (room)) · hy կոմոդ (chest of drawers for clothes) · be канто́ра (unit of governance, office) · pt cômodas (chest of drawers for clothes) · mk канцела́рија (office (room)) · bg писа́лище (desk) · ru конто́ра (office (room)) · pt cômoda (chest of drawers for clothes) · nb sekretær (desk) · be бюро́ (office (room)) · uk канцеля́рія (unit of governance, office) · bg канто́ра (unit of governance, office) · es buró (desk) · nl bureel (desk) · pl biurko (desk) · fi virasto (office (room)) · fr bureau (office (room)) · ru бюро́ (unit of governance, office) · be канцыля́рыя (unit of governance, office) · hi विभाग (unit of governance, office) · sq zyrë (office (room)) · ar مَكْتَب (office (room)) · be о́фіс (office (room)) · nn skatoll (desk) · it scrivania (desk) · es cómoda (chest of drawers for clothes) · he לִשְׁכָּה (office (room)) · sl biro (office (room)) · sv byrå (office (room)) · fy buro (unit of governance, office) · de Büro (unit of governance, office) · mt skrivanija (desk) · ru конто́рка (desk) · bg бюро́ (desk) · pl komoda (chest of drawers for clothes) · lt biuras (office (room)) · eo buroo (unit of governance, office) · de Schreibtisch (desk) · sk kancelária (office (room)) · ru пи́сьменный стол (desk) · ka ოფისი (office (room)) · ur دَفْتَر (office (room)) · nb skatoll (desk) · pt escrivaninha (desk) · ja 事務所 (office (room)) · id biro (office (room)) · hu iroda (unit of governance, office) · my ဗီရို (chest of drawers for clothes) · ko 사무실 (office (room)) · nl bureau (office (room)) · ka ბიურო (office (room)) · de Büro (office (room)) · hi कार्यशाला (office (room)) · be канцэля́рыя (unit of governance, office) · ru секрете́р (desk) · pt mesa (desk) · nl agentschap (office (room)) · uk о́фіс (office (room)) · nn kommode (chest of drawers for clothes) · pl biuro (office (room)) · uk о́фіс (unit of governance, office) · de Büro (desk) · grc γραφεῖον (office (room)) · ru о́фис (unit of governance, office) · fo skrivstova (office (room)) · ug بيۇرو (unit of governance, office) · es negociado (for the collection and provision of information) · be канто́ра (office (room)) · ru конто́ра (unit of governance, office) · tg идора (office (room)) · ky бюро (office (room)) · fy buro (office (room)) · hy գրասենյակ (office (room)) · nb kommode (chest of drawers for clothes) · mk биро́ (office (room)) · fr commode (chest of drawers for clothes) · cmn 局 (office (room)) · es buró (for the collection and provision of information) · it ufficio (office (room)) · uk бюро́ (office (room)) · fr bureau (desk) · cs kancelář (office (room)) · fi toimisto (office (room)) · fa-ira دَفْتَر (office (room)) · mt uffiċċju (office (room)) · de Kommode (chest of drawers for clothes) · da bureau (office (room)) · cmn 事務所 /事务所 (office (room)) · cs úřad (office (room)) · nl kantoor (office (room)) · tg бюро (office (room)) · uz daftar (office (room)) · ru бюро́ (office (room)) · he מִכְתָּבָה (desk) · be бюро́ (unit of governance, office) · nl kledingkast (chest of drawers for clothes) · bg канто́ра (office (room)) · hi कार्यालय (office (room)) · br burev (office (room)) · fr chiffonnier (chest of drawers for clothes) · tr şifonyer (chest of drawers for clothes)