bu ‧ reau /ˈbjʊərəʊ $ ˈbjʊroʊ/ BrE AmE noun ( plural bureaus or bureaux /-rəʊz $ -roʊz/) [countable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: French ; Origin: 'desk, cloth covering for desks' , from Old French burel 'woolen cloth' , from Latin burra 'wool, rough cloth' ]
1 . an office or organization that collects or provides information:
an employment bureau
the Citizens Advice Bureau
2 . a government department or a part of a government department in the US:
the Federal Bureau of Investigation
3 . an office of a company or organization that has its main office somewhere else:
the London bureau of the Washington Post
4 . British English a large desk or writing table
5 . American English a piece of furniture with several drawers, used to keep clothes in SYN chest of drawers British English