Office Means a Duty Before It Means a Room
An office is a place of work, and also a position of authority. The Latin means a service performed.
An office is a room where work is done, and a position of authority or duty. The second sense is older: Latin *officium* means a service or duty, from *opus*, work, and *facere*, to do. Holding office means holding a duty, and the *Divine Office* is the set of prayers that a religious community is obliged to perform each day.
- A workplace. *An open-plan office.*
- A position of authority. *Holding office.*
- A government department. *The Home Office.*
- A set of prayers. *The Divine Office.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | office | A corner office. |
| Plural | offices | Regional offices. |
| Person | officer | A police officer. |
| Adjective | official | An official notice. |
| Adjective | officious | An officious clerk. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He took office in May.Assumed the position.
- Official and officious differ sharply.See below.
- The Divine Office is said daily.Monastic practice.
Official and officious
- Official — authorised or formal
- Officious — interfering and self-important
- Officiate — to perform an official duty
- Officer — one holding office
- Good offices — helpful intervention, as in *through his good offices*
From Latin *officium*, a service or duty, from *opus*, work, and *facere*, to do.
Official or officious?
Official means authorised. Officious means annoyingly eager to give orders. They are opposites in tone.
What are someone's *good offices*?
Their helpful intervention or influence, especially in bringing parties together. The phrase uses the older sense of office as service.