bureau

bureau
    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}]
    

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.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The place where such a bureau is used; an office where
      business requiring writing is transacted.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
         [1913 Webster]

   4. A chest of drawers for clothes, especially when made as an
      ornamental piece of furniture. [U.S.]
      [1913 Webster]

   {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.
      [1913 Webster]
    

BUREAU. A French word, which literally means a large writing table. It is 
used figuratively for the place where business is transacted: it has been 
borrowed by us, and used in nearly the same sense; as, the bureau of the 
secretary of state. Vide Merl. Repert. h. t. 
    

Bureau -- U.S. County in Illinois
   Population (2000):    35503
   Housing Units (2000): 15331
   Land area (2000):     868.564029 sq. miles (2249.570413 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    4.735354 sq. miles (12.264509 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    873.299383 sq. miles (2261.834922 sq. km)
   Located within:       Illinois (IL), FIPS 17
   Location:             41.386420 N, 89.477767 W
   Headwords:
    Bureau
    Bureau, IL
    Bureau County
    Bureau County, IL
    

22 Moby Thesaurus words for "bureau":
      agency, bailiwick, chest, chest of drawers, chiffonier,
      commissariat, constablery, constablewick, constabulary, department,
      desk, division, dresser, ministry, municipality, office,
      secretariat, section, sheriffalty, sheriffwick, shrievalty,
      subdivision