bureau
n. countablen. an office or department that handles a specific type of business or government work. It can also mean a desk with drawers for writing or storing papers.
n. an administrative unit or government department responsible for a specific function; alternatively, a chest of drawers or a writing desk with a hinged lid. Often used in the names of official agencies.
The travel bureau helped us book our flights.
The local employment bureau provides resources for residents looking to change careers or find seasonal work.
While the federal bureau manages large-scale investigations, local authorities maintain jurisdiction over immediate public safety concerns within the city limits.
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.
Often functions as a proper noun when part of an agency name, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation.