Where does “bureau” come from?
Bureau comes from French bureau, derived from French bure, from Latin burra, from Latin burrus meaning reddish-brown, from Ancient Greek πυρρός meaning flame-colored, itself related to Ancient Greek βοῦς meaning ox and τυρός meaning cheese.
bureau (English): An administrative unit of government; office; An...
Definitions
- An administrative unit of government; office; An...
Ancestry of “bureau”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | bureau | desk; office; ticket office |
| 2 | Middle French | burel | — |
| 3 | Old French | burel | frieze; a garment made out of frieze |
| 4 | Old French | -el | Suffix that usually denotes a masculine noun |
| 5 | Latin | -ellus | Alternative form of -ulus; "forming masculine... |
| 6 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |