bureau
bureau Lexical Profile
bureau Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An office, agency, or specialized administrative department responsible for transacting specific business, gathering information, or providing a public service.
"The weather bureau issued a severe storm warning for the entire coastal region."
North American A low chest of drawers used in a bedroom for storing folded clothes, often fitted with an attached mirror.
"She folded her sweaters neatly and placed them in the top drawer of the mahogany bureau."
British A writing desk with drawers and typically an angled top that opens downward to form a flat writing surface.
"He sat at the antique oak bureau in the study to write his correspondence."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to furniture, American English uses 'bureau' to mean a bedroom chest of drawers, whereas British English uses it to mean a writing desk with a hinged, sloped top.
• Rhymes for bureau
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 17th century from French bureau ('desk, office'), originally denoting a coarse woolen cloth used to cover writing tables, from Old French burel.