Added 9 October 2026
bureau
/ˈbjʊ.ɹəʊ/ noun
Latin root: burra Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bureau at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- An administrative unit of government; office.
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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).
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)