The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Bureau \Bu"reau\, n.; pl. E. Bureaus, F. Bureaux. [F. bureau
   a writing table, desk, office, OF., drugget, with which a
   writing table was often covered, equiv. to F. bure, and fr.
   OF. buire dark brown, the stuff being named from its color,
   fr. L. burrus red, fr. Gr. ? flame-colored, prob. fr. ? fire.
   See Fire, n., and cf. Borel, n.]
   1. Originally, a desk or writing table with drawers for
      papers. --Swift.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The place where such a bureau is used; an office where
      business requiring writing is transacted.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Hence: A department of public business requiring a force
      of clerks; the body of officials in a department who labor
      under the direction of a chief.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: On the continent of Europe, the highest departments, in
         most countries, have the name of bureaux; as, the
         Bureau of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In England
         and America, the term is confined to inferior and
         subordinate departments; as, the "Pension Bureau," a
         subdepartment of the Department of the Interior. [Obs.]
         In Spanish, bureo denotes a court of justice for the
         trial of persons belonging to the king's household.
         [1913 Webster]

   4. A chest of drawers for clothes, especially when made as an
      ornamental piece of furniture. [U.S.]
      [1913 Webster]

   Bureau system. See Bureaucracy.

   Bureau Veritas, an institution, in the interest of maritime
      underwriters, for the survey and rating of vessels all
      over the world. It was founded in Belgium in 1828, removed
      to Paris in 1830, and re["e]stablished in Brussels in
      1870.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

bureau
    n 1: an administrative unit of government; "the Central
         Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of
         Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority" [syn:
         agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau,
         office, authority]
    2: furniture with drawers for keeping clothes [syn: chest of
       drawers, chest, bureau, dresser]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

22 Moby Thesaurus words for "bureau":
   agency, bailiwick, chest, chest of drawers, chiffonier,
   commissariat, constablery, constablewick, constabulary, department,
   desk, division, dresser, ministry, municipality, office,
   secretariat, section, sheriffalty, sheriffwick, shrievalty,
   subdivision



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

BUREAU. A French word, which literally means a large writing table. It is
used figuratively for the place where business is transacted: it has been
borrowed by us, and used in nearly the same sense; as, the bureau of the
secretary of state. Vide Merl. Repert. h. t.



U.S. Gazetteer Counties (2000):

Bureau -- U.S. County in Illinois
   Population (2000):    35503
   Housing Units (2000): 15331
   Land area (2000):     868.564029 sq. miles (2249.570413 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    4.735354 sq. miles (12.264509 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    873.299383 sq. miles (2261.834922 sq. km)
   Located within:       Illinois (IL), FIPS 17
   Location:             41.386420 N, 89.477767 W
   Headwords:
    Bureau
    Bureau, IL
    Bureau County
    Bureau County, IL