n.
- a piece of furniture with a flat or sloped surface at which one can read, write, or do other work.
- a counter in a hotel, bank, airport, etc.
- a specified section of a news organization:
the sports desk.
- Music a position in an orchestra at which two players share a music stand.
Etymology
ME: from med. L. desca, prob. based on Provençal desca ‘basket’ or Ital. desco ‘table, butcher's block’, both based on L. discus (see discus).