Wiktionary

bureau

See also: Bureau

English

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Etymology

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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.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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bureau (plural bureaus or bureaux)

 
United States Bureau of the Census seal.
  1. An administrative unit of government; office.
    • 2018, VOA Learning English > China's Melting Glacier Brings Visitors, Adds to Climate Concerns‎[1]:
      Ashley Johnson is an energy, trade and economics expert at the National Bureau of Asian Research, based in the United States.
  2. 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
  3. An office (room where clerical or professional duties are performed).
    • 2015, Victoria Delderfield, Secret Mother:
      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.
    • 2010, Ellie Nielsen, Buying a Piece of Paris: A Memoir, page 17:
      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 [...].
    • 2015, Dan Riker, The Blue Girl Murders, page 287:
      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.
  4. (chiefly British) 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. (US) A chest of drawers for clothes.

Synonyms

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office, organization, unit

Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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Danish

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from French bureau

Noun

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bureau n (singular definite bureauet, plural indefinite bureauer)

  1. bureau

Declension

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Declension of bureau
neuter
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative bureau bureauet bureauer bureauerne
genitive bureaus bureauets bureauers bureauernes

Further reading

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Dutch

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from French bureau, from Middle French burel, from Old French burel.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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bureau n (plural bureaus, diminutive bureautje n)

  1. (furniture) desk [from 18th c.]
  2. (building) office, office building [from late 18th c.] (especially office buildings for writing and publishing journalism and literature, or the police station as a building)
  3. (non-commercial) agency (government organisation, such as a police station: "politiebureau"; a scientific or humanities research institute: "onderzoeksbureau"; political party think tank: "wetenschappelijk bureau")
  4. (commercial) company (in design, engineering, journalism, communications, marketing, market/opinion research), agency (doing business for another, such as an advertising agency: "reclamebureau"; a news agency: "persbureau")

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Afrikaans: buro
  • → Caribbean Hindustani: buro
  • → Indonesian: biro
  • → Papiamentu: biroshi, birosji (from the diminutive)
  • → Sranan Tongo: biro

French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old French burel, 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”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /by.ʁo/
  • Audio; “un bureau”:(file)
  • Rhymes: -o
  • Hyphenation: bu‧reau

Noun

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bureau m (plural bureaux)

  1. desk
  2. office (room)
  3. ticket office
  4. the staff of an office
  5. office; an administrative unit
  6. (obsolete) frieze (coarse woolen cloth)
  7. (computing, graphical user interface) desktop (on-screen background)

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Further reading

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