A desk , or bureau is a generally wooded piece of furniture and a type of useful table often used in a school or office setting for various academic or professional activities such as reading or writing on or using technology such as a computer.Desks often have one or more drawers, compartments, or pigeon holes to store items such as office supplies and papers. Unlike a regular table, usually only one side of a desk is suitable to sit on (though there are some exceptions, such as a partners desk). Not all desks have the form of a table. For instance, an armoire desk is a desk built within a large wardrobe-like cabinet, and a portable desk is light enough to be placed on a person's lap. Since many people lean on a desk while using it, a desk must be sturdy. Desks were first made from wood, but are slowly being converted into harder materials that last longer.A desk is also known as a bureau, counter, davenport, escritoire, lectern, reading stand, rolltop desk, school desk, workspace or writing desk. In Spanish a desk is called escritorio.