different between bureaucrat vs bureau

For Wiktionary's bureaucrats, see Wiktionary:Bureaucrats

English

Etymology

From French bureaucrate.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?bj????k?æt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?bj???k?æt/
• Hyphenation: bu?reau?crat

Noun

bureaucrat (plural bureaucrats)

1. An official who is part of a bureaucracy.
2. (Wiktionary and WMF jargon) A wiki user with the right to change user access levels.

Usage notes

The term bureaucrat, while often used in a professional and respectful manner, is oftentimes disdained by those who work in organizations, especially governmental organizations. This is due to connotations of rigidity, indifference, and especially laziness that the term can sometimes connote (the latter especially reflected in the oft-repeated derisive term lazy bureaucrat). As a result, many workers in organizations, especially governmental ones, prefer terms such as manager, public manager, civil servant, public servant, public official, etc.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:bureaucrat

Derived terms

Related terms

• bureaucracy

Translations

English

Etymology

Borrowed 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 ????????? (berbérion, “shabby garment”). Doublet of burel and borrel, taken from Old French.

Pronunciation

• enPR: byo?or??, IPA^(key): /?bj??.??/
• enPR: byo?or??, IPA^(key): /?bj??.?/
• (US) enPR: by?r??, by?r??, IPA^(key): /?bj??.o?/, /?bj??.?/
• (New England)
• Rhymes: -?????, Rhymes: -????
• Rhymes: -?????
• Rhymes: -??

Noun

bureau (plural bureaus or bureaux)

1. An administrative unit of government; office.
   • 2018, VOA Learning English > China's Melting Glacier Brings Visitors, Adds to Climate Concerns

     Ashley Johnson is an energy, trade and economics expert at the National Bureau of Asian Research, based in the United States.

2. An organization or office for collecting or providing information or news.

3. An office (room where clerical or professional duties are performed).
   • 2015, Victoria Delderfield, Secret Mother:

     There was an eerie silence in the dorm [... in] the factory. [...] The lamp glowed in his bureau, warm and reassuring and, through the window, I could see his papers strewn across the desk. [...] I called his name again. A movement from his bureau. [...] I banged on his door until it opened a crack[. ...] He pushed me out onto the staircase. "Get out," he screamed. The door to his bureau slammed in my face.
4. (chiefly Britain) A desk, usually with a cover and compartments that are located above the level of the writing surface rather than underneath, and often used for storing papers.
5. (US) A chest of drawers for clothes.

Derived terms

• bureau de change
• QSL bureau

Related terms

• bureaucracy
• bureaucrat
• bureaucratic
• bureaugamy
• burel

Translations

Further reading

• bureau in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• bureau in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Dutch

Alternative forms

• buro (superseded)

Etymology

Borrowed from French bureau, from Middle French burel, from Old French burel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /by?ro?/
• Hyphenation: bu?reau
• Rhymes: -o?

Noun

bureau n (plural bureaus, diminutive bureautje n)

1. desk [from 18th c.]
2. office [from late 18th c.]

Synonyms

• (desk): schrijftafel
• (office): bureel, kantoor

Derived terms

• bureaula
• bureaulamp
• burotica
• consultatiebureau
• politiebureau
• reclamebureau

Related terms

• bureel

Descendants

• Afrikaans: buro
• ? Indonesian: biro

French

Etymology

From Old French burel, 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 ????????? (berbérion, “shabby garment”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /by.?o/

Noun

bureau m (plural bureaux)

1. desk
2. office (room)
3. ticket office
4. the staff of an office
5. office; an administrative unit
6. (obsolete) frieze (coarse woolen cloth)

Derived terms

Related terms

• bourre
• bourgeon

Descendants

Further reading

• “bureau” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).