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bu·reau

(byrō)

n. pl. bu·reaus or bu·reaux (-ōz)

1. A chest of drawers, especially a dresser for holding clothes.

2. Chiefly British A writing desk or writing table with drawers.

a. A government department or a subdivision of a department.

b. An office, usually of a large organization, that is responsible for a specific duty: a news bureau.

c. A business that offers information of a specified kind: a travel bureau.

[French, cloth cover for desks, desk, office, from Old French burel, woolen cloth, probably from Vulgar Latin *būra, from Late Latin burra, shaggy garment.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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