Adjacent Words

Office definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OF'FICE, n. [L. officium; ob and facio, to make or do.]
1. A particular duty, charge or trust conferred by public authority and for a public purpose; an employment undertaken by commission or authority from government or those who administer it. Thus we speak of the office of secretary of state, of treasurer, of a judge, of a sheriff, of a justice of the peace, etc. Offices are civil, judicial, ministerial, executive, legislative, political, municipal, diplomatic, military, ecclesiastical, etc.
2. A duty, charge or trust of a sacred nature, conferred by God himself; as the office of priest, in the Old Testament; and that of the apostles, in the New Testament.
Insomuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify my office. Romans 11.
3. Duty or employment of a private nature; as the office of a midwife. Exodus 1.
4. That which is performed, intended or assigned to be done by a particular thing, or that which any thing is fitted to perform; answering to duty in intelligent beings. We enjoy health when the several organs of the body perform their respective offices.
In this experiment, the several intervals of the teeth of the comb do the office of so many prisms.
5. Business; particular employment.
Hesperus, whose office is to bring twilight upon the earth.
6. Act of good or ill voluntarily tendered; usually in a good sense; as kind offices; offices of pity; pious offices.
7. Act of worship.
8. Formulary of devotion.
The Lord's prayer, the ten commandments and the creed, is a very good office for children if they are not fitted for more regular offices.
9. A house or apartment in which public officers and others transact business; as the register's office; a lawyer's office.
10. In architecture, an apartment appropriated for the necessary business or occasions of a palace or nobleman's house. The word is used also for a building pertaining to a farm.
11. In the canon law, a benefice which has no jurisdiction annexed to it.
12. The person or persons entrusted with particular duties of a public nature.
- This office [of quarter-master-general] not to have the disposal of public money, except small occasional sums.
OF'FICE, v.t. To perform; to do; to discharge. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed; "he rented an office in the new building" [syn: office, business office]
2: 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]
3: the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group; "the function of a teacher"; "the government must do its part"; "play its role" [syn: function, office, part, role]
4: (of a government or government official) holding an office means being in power; "being in office already gives a candidate a great advantage"; "during his first year in office"; "during his first year in power"; "the power of the president" [syn: office, power]
5: professional or clerical workers in an office; "the whole office was late the morning of the blizzard" [syn: office, office staff]
6: a religious rite or service prescribed by ecclesiastical authorities; "the offices of the mass"
7: a job in an organization; "he occupied a post in the treasury" [syn: position, post, berth, office, spot, billet, place, situation]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin officium service, duty, office, from opus work + facere to make, do — more at operate, do Date: 13th century 1. a. a special duty, charge, or position conferred by an exercise of governmental authority and for a public purpose ; a position of authority to exercise a public function and to receive whatever emoluments may belong to it b. a position of responsibility or some degree of executive authority 2. [Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin officium, from Latin] a prescribed form or service of worship; specifically capitalized Divine Office 3. a religious or social ceremonial observance ; rite 4. a. something that one ought to do or must do ; an assigned or assumed duty, task, or role b. the proper or customary action of something ; function c. something done for another ; service 5. a place where a particular kind of business is transacted or a service is supplied: as a. a place in which the functions of a public officer are performed b. the directing headquarters of an enterprise or organization c. the place in which a professional person conducts business 6. plural, chiefly British the apartments, attached buildings, or outhouses in which the activities attached to the service of a house are carried on 7. a. a major administrative unit in some governments <British Foreign Office> b. a subdivision of some government departments <Patent Office> Synonyms: see function

U.S. Military Dictionary

An enduring organization that is formed around a specific function within a joint force commander's headquarters to coordinate and manage support requirements. (JP 3-33)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a room or building used as a place of business, esp. for clerical or administrative work. 2 a room or department or building for a particular kind of business (ticket office; post office). 3 the local centre of a large business (our London office). 4 US the consulting-room of a professional person. 5 a position with duties attached to it; a place of authority or trust or service, esp. of a public nature. 6 tenure of an official position, esp. that of a minister of State or of the party forming the Government (hold office; out of office for 13 years). 7 (Office) the quarters or staff or collective authority of a Government department etc. (Foreign Office). 8 a duty attaching to one's position; a task or function. 9 (usu. in pl.) a piece of kindness or attention; a service (esp. through the good offices of). 10 Eccl. a an authorized form of worship (Office for the Dead). b (in full divine office) the daily service of the Roman Catholic breviary (say the office). 11 a ceremonial duty. 12 (in pl.) Brit. the parts of a house devoted to household work, storage, etc. 13 sl. a hint or signal. Phrases and idioms: the last offices rites due to the dead. office-bearer an official or officer. office block a large building designed to contain business offices. office boy (or girl) a young man (or woman) employed to do minor jobs in a business office. office hours the hours during which business is normally conducted. office of arms the College of Arms, or a similar body in another country. office-worker an employee in a business office. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L officium performance of a task (in med.L also office, divine service), f. opus work + facere fic- do

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Office Of"fice, n. [F., fr. L. officium, for opificium; ops ability, wealth, holp + facere to do or make. See Opulent, Fact.] 1. That which a person does, either voluntarily or by appointment, for, or with reference to, others; customary duty, or a duty that arises from the relations of man to man; as, kind offices, pious offices. I would I could do a good office between you. --Shak. 2. A special duty, trust, charge, or position, conferred by authority and for a public purpose; a position of trust or authority; as, an executive or judical office; a municipal office. 3. A charge or trust, of a sacred nature, conferred by God himself; as, the office of a priest under the old dispensation, and that of the apostles in the new. Inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office. --Rom. xi. 13. 4. That which is performed, intended, or assigned to be done, by a particular thing, or that which anything is fitted to perform; a function; -- answering to duty in intelligent beings. They [the eyes] resign their office and their light. --Shak. Hesperus, whose office is to bring Twilight upon the earth. --Milton. In this experiment the several intervals of the teeth of the comb do the office of so many prisms. --Sir I. Newton. 5. The place where a particular kind of business or service for others is transacted; a house or apartment in which public officers and others transact business; as, the register's office; a lawyer's office. 6. The company or corporation, or persons collectively, whose place of business is in an office; as, I have notified the office. 7. pl. The apartments or outhouses in which the domestics discharge the duties attached to the service of a house, as kitchens, pantries, stables, etc. [Eng.] As for the offices, let them stand at distance. --Bacon. 8. (Eccl.) Any service other than that of ordination and the Mass; any prescribed religious service. This morning was read in the church, after the office was done, the declaration setting forth the late conspiracy against the king's person. --Evelyn. Holy office. Same as Inquisition, n., 3. Houses of office. Same as def. 7 above. --Chaucer. Little office (R.C.Ch.), an office recited in honor of the Virgin Mary. Office bearer, an officer; one who has a specific office or duty to perform. Office copy (Law), an authenticated or certified copy of a record, from the proper office. See Certified copies, under Copy. --Abbott. Office-found (Law), the finding of an inquest of office. See under Inquest. Office holder. See Officeholder in the Vocabulary

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Office Of`fice, v. t. To perform, as the duties of an office; to discharge. [Obs.] --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(offices) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. An office is a room or a part of a building where people work sitting at desks. He had an office big enough for his desk and chair, plus his VDU... At about 4.30 p.m. Audrey arrived at the office... Telephone their head office for more details. ...an office block. N-COUNT 2. An office is a department of an organization, especially the government, where people deal with a particular kind of administrative work. Thousands have registered with unemployment offices. ...Downing Street's press office. ...the Congressional Budget Office. N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES 3. An office is a small building or room where people can go for information, tickets, or a service of some kind. The tourist office operates a useful room-finding service. ...the airline ticket offices. N-COUNT: usu supp N 4. A doctor's or dentist's office is a place where a doctor or dentist sees their patients. (AM; in BRIT, use surgery) N-COUNT 5. If someone holds office in a government, they have an important job or position of authority. The events to mark the President's ten years in office went ahead as planned... They are fed up with the politicians and want to vote them out of office... The president shall hold office for five years... He ran for office. N-UNCOUNT: oft in/out of N 6. see also booking office, box office, post office, register office, registry office

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

of'-is: In the Old Testament the word is often used in periphrastic renderings, e.g. "minister .... in the priest's office," literally, act as priest (Ex 28:1, etc.); "do the office of a midwife," literally, cause or help to give birth (Ex 1:16). But the word is also used as a rendering of different Hebrew words, e.g. ken, "pedestal," "place" (Ge 40:13, the King James Version "place"; Ge 41:13); `abhodhah, "labor," "work" (1Ch 6:32); pequddah, "oversight," "charge" (Ps 109:8); ma`amadh, literally, "standing," e.g. waiting at table (1Ch 23:28); mishmar, "charge," observance or service of the temple (Ne 13:14 the King James Version).

Similarly in the New Testament the word is used in periphrastic renderings, e.g. priest's office (Lu 1:8,9); office of a deacon (diakonia, 1Ti 3:10); office of a bishop (episkope, 1Ti 3:1). the Revised Version (British and American) uses other renderings, e.g. "ministry" (Ro 11:13); "serve as deacons" (1Ti 3:10). In Ac 1:20, the Revised Version (British and American) has "office" (margin "overseership") for the King James Version "bishoprick."

T. Lewis

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Work, service, duty, customary duty. 2. Station (conferred by authority), post, situation, place, position, berth. 3. Charge, trust, business, employment, duty, service, function, capacity. 4. Place of business, room, bureau. 5. Service, act of worship, formulary of devotion. 6. Company, corporation.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To give the office; to give information, or make signs to the officers to take a thief.

Moby Thesaurus

Mass, act of grace, act of kindness, advice, advocacy, aegis, agency, agentship, aid, alerting, appointment, area, assignment, assistance, atelier, auspices, authority, authorization, baccalaureate service, backhouse, backing, backup, bailiwick, bedtime prayer, benefaction, benefit, benevolence, benignity, berth, billet, bit, blessing, booking office, box office, branch, branch office, brevet, bureau, business, cabinet, camp meeting, capacity, care, caution, celebration, ceremonial, ceremony, chambers, chancellery, chancery, character, charge, chore, church, church service, closet, clue, comfort, commencement, commissariat, commission, commissioning, commitment, company, compline, connection, consignment, constablery, constablewick, constabulary, consulate, convocation, corporate headquarters, corporation, courtesy, crapper, cue, cure, delegated authority, delegation, den, department, deputation, devolution, devolvement, devotions, divine service, division, duty, ease, embassy, employment, empowerment, empty formality, end use, engagement, entrusting, entrustment, errand, establishment, evening devotions, evensong, executive office, executorship, exequatur, exercise, exercises, factorship, favor, firm, form, form of worship, formal, formality, formula, formulary, full power, function, gig, good deed, good offices, good turn, grace, graduation, graduation exercises, headquarters, help, holy rite, home office, house, immediate purpose, inaugural, inauguration, incumbency, indulgence, initiation, institution, intercession, intermediation, jakes, job, jurisdiction, kind deed, kind offices, kindly act, kindness, labor of love, lauds, legation, library, license, lieutenancy, liturgy, lob, loft, main office, mandate, matins, mediation, meeting, mercy, ministration, ministry, mission, mitzvah, mode of worship, monition, moonlighting, morning devotions, mummery, municipality, mystery, necessary, night song, none, nones, novena, obligation, observance, occupation, offices, opening, operation, operational purpose, order of worship, ordinance, organization, outhouse, part, passing word, patronage, performance, place, plenipotentiary power, pointer, position, post, power of attorney, power to act, practice, praise meeting, prayer, prayer meeting, prayers, prescribed form, prime, prime song, procuration, protection, province, proxy, public worship, purpose, purview, regency, regentship, relief, religious ceremony, remedy, rescue, responsibility, revival, revival meeting, rite, rite de passage, rite of passage, ritual, ritual observance, rituality, role, room, sacrament, sacramental, sail loft, second job, secretariat, section, service, sext, sheriffalty, sheriffwick, shop, shrievalty, shtick, situation, solemnity, solemnization, spot, stacks, station, steer, studio, study, succor, support, task, tent meeting, tenure, therapy, thing, ticket office, tierce, tip, tip-off, trust, trusteeship, turn, ultimate purpose, undersong, use, vacancy, vesper, vespers, vicarious authority, vigils, warning, warrant, watch meeting, watch night, watch-night service, whisper, work, workplace, workroom