Adjacent Words

Bureau definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BU'REAU, n. buro.
1. A chest of drawers, for keeping papers or clothes.
2. An ambassador's or secretary's office.
In Spanish, this word bureo is a court of justice for the trial of persons belonging to the king's household.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an administrative unit of government; "the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority" [syn: agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office, authority]
2: furniture with drawers for keeping clothes [syn: chest of drawers, chest, bureau, dresser]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural bureaus; also bureaux) Etymology: French, desk, cloth covering for desks, from Old French burel woolen cloth, from Old French *bure, from Late Latin burra shaggy cloth Date: 1699 1. a. British writing desk; especially one having drawers and a slant top b. a low chest of drawers for use in a bedroom 2. a. a specialized administrative unit; especially a subdivision of an executive department of a government b. a branch of a newspaper, newsmagazine, or wire service in an important news center c. a usually commercial agency that serves as an intermediary especially for exchanging information or coordinating activities <credit bureau>

U.S. Military Dictionary

A long-standing functional organization, with a supporting staff designed to perform a specific function or activity within a joint force commander's headquarters. (JP 3-33)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. bureaux or bureaus) 1 a Brit. a writing-desk with drawers and usu. an angled top opening downwards to form a writing surface. b US a chest of drawers. 2 a an office or department for transacting specific business. b a government department. Etymology: F, = desk, orig. its baize covering, f. OF burel f. bure, buire dark brown ult. f. Gk purros red

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bureau Bu"reau, n.; pl. E. Bureaus, F. Bureaux. [F. bureau a writing table, desk, office, OF., drugget, with which a writing table was often covered, equiv. to F. bure, and fr. OF. buire dark brown, the stuff being named from its color, fr. L. burrus red, fr. Gr. ? flame-colored, prob. fr. ? fire. See Fire, n., and cf. Borel, n.] 1. Originally, a desk or writing table with drawers for papers. --Swift. 2. The place where such a bureau is used; an office where business requiring writing is transacted. 3. Hence: A department of public business requiring a force of clerks; the body of officials in a department who labor under the direction of a chief. Note: On the continent of Europe, the highest departments, in most countries, have the name of bureaux; as, the Bureau of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In England and America, the term is confined to inferior and subordinate departments; as, the ``Pension Bureau,'' a subdepartment of the Department of the Interior. [Obs.] In Spanish, bureo denotes a court of justice for the trial of persons belonging to the king's household. 4. A chest of drawers for clothes, especially when made as an ornamental piece of furniture. [U.S.] Bureau system. See Bureaucracy. Bureau Veritas, an institution, in the interest of maritime underwriters, for the survey and rating of vessels all over the world. It was founded in Belgium in 1828, removed to Paris in 1830, and re["e]stablished in Brussels in 1870.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Note: The usual plural in British English is 'bureaux'. The usual plural in American English is 'bureaus'. 1. A bureau is an office, organization, or government department that collects and distributes information. ...the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ...the Citizens' Advice Bureau. N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES 2. A bureau is an office of a company or organization which has its main office in another town or country. (mainly AM BUSINESS) ...the Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau. = office N-COUNT 3. A bureau is a writing desk with shelves and drawers and a lid that opens to form the writing surface. (BRIT) N-COUNT 4. A bureau is a chest of drawers. (AM) N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Chest of drawers. 2. Office, counting-room, place of business. 3. Department (of Government).

Moby Thesaurus

agency, bailiwick, chest, chest of drawers, chiffonier, commissariat, constablery, constablewick, constabulary, department, desk, division, dresser, ministry, municipality, office, secretariat, section, sheriffalty, sheriffwick, shrievalty, subdivision