Word: office Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English office, from Old French office, from Latin officium (“personal, official, or moral duty; official position; function; ceremony, esp. last rites”), contracted from opificium (“construction: the act of building or the thing built”), from opifex (“doer of work, craftsman”) + -ium (“-y”, forming actions), from op- (“work”) + -i- (connective) + -fex (combining form of faciō (“to do, to make”)). The computing sense is a genericization of various proprietary program suites, such as Microsoft Office. Pronunciation: /ˈɒf.ɪs/, /ˈɔf.ɪs/, /ˈɔ.fɪs/, /ˈɑ-/ 1. A ceremonial duty or service, particularly Example: Golde (gaue he him)[…]for all maner of veſſels of euery offyce[…] 2. A ceremonial duty or service 3. A ceremonial duty or service 4. A ceremonial duty or service 5. A ceremonial duty or service Example: In the Latin rite, all bishops, priests, and transitional deacons are obliged to recite the Divine Office daily. Example: His spirituall exercises were chiefly Prayer, the H. Sacrifice of Masse, his Canonicall Houres or diuine Office. 6. A ceremonial duty or service 7. A ceremonial duty or service Example: The deuout offices of balming and anointing the dead bodies[…] Example: To show their loue in this last office done To a dead friend. 8. A ceremonial duty or service Labels: obsolete Example: The office, or Introite, (as they call it). 9. A position of responsibility. Example: When the office of Secretary of State is vacant, its duties fall upon an official within the department. Example: Do not conflate the officeholder with the office; the distinction sometimes matters. 10. Official position, particularly high employment within government; tenure in such a position. Example: She held office as secretary of state until she left office to run for office. Example: Fla.[…]Well, would I were / Gently put out of Office, before I were forc'd out[…] 11. A duty, particularly owing to one's position or station; a charge, trust, or role; (obsolete, rare) moral duty. Example: Ang.... Doe you your office, or giue vp your Place, And you shall well be spar'd. Example: The Sun was ſunk, and after him the Starr / Of Heſperus, whoſe Office is to bring / Twilight upon the Earth[…] 12. Function: anything typically done by or expected of something. Labels: archaic Example: In this experiment the several intervals of the teeth of the comb do the office of so many prisms. Example: I hope you saw her petticoat, six inches deep in mud,[…]and the gown which had been let down to hide it, not doing its office. 13. A service, a kindness. Labels: plural, regional Example: The secretary prevailed at the negotiations through the good offices of the Freedonian ambassador. Example: ...which we have hitherto forborne to graunt... for the evell offices whiche her other Secretary did there. 14. Inside information. Labels: figuratively, slang Example: Giving the office—is when you suffer any person, who may stand behind your chair, to look over your hand. Example: "[…]What is there for me in it?" "Not a shilling." "What? Wasn't it I that gave the information? Where would you have been if I had not given you the office?" 15. A room, set of rooms, or building used for non-manual work, particularly Example: The office of the Secretary of State is cleaned when it is vacant. Example: Now it came to paſſe that at what time the chest was brought vnto the kings office, by the hand of the Leuites[…] 16. A room, set of rooms, or building used for non-manual work Example: The “Pall Mall Gazette” had its offices[…]in Catherine Street[…] 17. A room, set of rooms, or building used for non-manual work Example: There will be some of the family waiting for you at the coach-office. 18. A room, set of rooms, or building used for non-manual work Labels: US Example: This one was made out at a private office—Office is American for Surgery. 19. The staff of such places. Labels: figuratively Example: The whole office was there... well, except you, of course. 20. The administrative departments housed in such places, particularly Labels: figuratively Example: He's from our public relations office. 21. The administrative departments housed in such places Labels: Australia, UK, capitalized, figuratively, usually Example: The secretary of state's British colleague heads the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 22. The administrative departments housed in such places Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, capitalized, figuratively, usually Example: A Biscayner is capable to be a Cavalier of any of the three habits without any scrutiny to be made of the Office, whether he be, limpio de la sangre de los Moros, that is cleare of the bloud of the Moores or no. Example: They abiured their Heresy bublikly [sic] before the Commissary of the holy office. 23. The administrative departments housed in such places Labels: figuratively Example: He worked as the receptionist at the Akron office. Example: But there is an Insuring-Office set up in the Gospel, as to the venture of our eternities. 24. The parts of a house or estate devoted to manual work and storage, as the kitchen, scullery, laundry, stables, etc., particularly (euphemistic, dated) a house or estate's facilities for urination and defecation: outhouses or lavatories. Labels: dated, in-plural Example: As for the Offices, let them stand at some Distance from the House, with some low covered Galleries, to pass from them to the Palace it self. Example: ... proposals for erecting 500 Publick Offices of Ease in London and Westminster... 25. Clipping of inquest of office Labels: UK, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, historical Example: If they find the treason or felony... of the party accused... the king is thereupon, by virtue of this office found, intitled to have his forfeitures. Example: If the Crown claimed the land of an idiot, the person had first to be found an idiot by office. 26. A piece of land used for hunting; the area of land overseen by a gamekeeper. Labels: obsolete Example: All hunt in James Whitendales office. 27. A hangout: a place where one is normally found. Labels: figuratively, obsolete, slang Example: His Office, any Man's ordinary Haunt, or Plying-place, be it Tavern, Ale-house, Gaming-house. 28. A plane's cockpit, particularly an observer's cockpit. Labels: UK, dated, slang Example: I withdraw into ‘the office’, otherwise the observer's cockpit. Example: In the slang of the Royal Air Force man, the cockpit of his plane is the ‘pulpit’ or ‘office’, the glass covering over it the ‘greenhouse’. 29. A collection of business software typically including a word processor and spreadsheet and slideshow programs. 30. An official or group of officials; (figuratively) a personification of officeholders. Labels: obsolete Example: […]For who would beare... The pangs of despiz'd loue, the lawes delay, The insolence of office... When he himselfe might his quietas make... With a bare bodkin? Example: Ped. Now Mr. Office: What is the Reason that your vigilant Greatness And your Wife's wonderful wiseness have lock'd up from me The way to see my Mistress? Who's Dog's dead now, That you observe these Vigils? 31. A bodily function, (particularly) urination and defecation; an act of urination or defecation. Labels: obsolete Example: Cassio.... Whom I, with all the Office of my heart Intirely honour[…] Example: Washing themselves, as they doe also after the offices of Nature. 32. The performance of a duty; an instance of performing a duty. Labels: obsolete Example: […]whan the Quene of riche Arabia sawe all the wyſzdome of Salomon[…]⁊ the offyces of his miniſters, and their garmentes[…]ſhe wondred exceadingly[…] Example: At Rome (nor think me partial to the Poor) / All Offices of ours are out of Door[…]