bureau

office

noun boo-ROH Common

Origin: Old French bure (coarse cloth used to cover tables).

Also means

desk

Usage Note

Bureau can mean a physical desk, a room used as an office, or a government office/department (le bureau de poste — post office). Its plural is bureaux, following the -eau → -eaux rule. The phrase travail de bureau (desk work) is common, and le Bureau ovale refers to the US Oval Office in French news.

Examples

"Mon bureau est en désordre."

Natural Translation

My desk is messy.

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