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Office

 - 6 dictionary results

of⋅fice

[aw-fis, of-is]
–noun
1. a room, set of rooms, or building where the business of a commercial or industrial organization or of a professional person is conducted: the main office of an insurance company; a doctor's office.
2. a room assigned to a specific person or a group of persons in a commercial or industrial organization: Her office is next to mine.
3. a business or professional organization: He went to work in an architect's office.
4. the staff or designated part of a staff at a commercial or industrial organization: The whole office was at his wedding.
5. a position of duty, trust, or authority, esp. in the government, a corporation, a society, or the like: She was elected twice to the office of president.
6. employment or position as an official: to seek office.
7. the duty, function, or part of a particular person or agency: to act in the office of adviser.
8. (initial capital letter) an operating agency or division of certain departments of the U.S. Government: Office of Community Services.
9. (initial capital letter) British. a major administrative unit or department of the national government: the Foreign Office.
10. Slang. hint, signal, or warning; high sign.
11. Often, offices. something, whether good or bad, done or said for or to another: He obtained a position through the offices of a friend.
12. Ecclesiastical.
a. the prescribed order or form for a service of the church or for devotional use.
b. the services so prescribed.
c. Also called divine office. the prayers, readings from Scripture, and psalms that must be recited every day by all who are in major orders.
d. a ceremony or rite, esp. for the dead.
13. a service or task to be performed; assignment; chore: little domestic offices.
14. offices, Chiefly British.
a. the parts of a house, as the kitchen, pantry, or laundry, devoted mainly to household work.
b. the stables, barns, cowhouses, etc., of a farm.
15. Older Slang. privy.

Origin:
1200–50; ME < OF < L officium service, duty, ceremony, presumably contr. of opificium, equiv. to opi-, comb. form akin to opus opus + -fic-, comb. form of facere to make, do 1 + -ium -ium


of⋅fice⋅less, adjective


5. post, station, berth, situation. See appointment. 7. responsibility, charge, trust. 13. work, duty.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Office
of·fice   (ô'fĭs, ŏf'ĭs)   
n.  
    1. A place in which business, clerical, or professional activities are conducted.

    2. The administrative personnel, executives, or staff working in such a place.

    3. A subdivision of a governmental department: the U.S. Patent Office.

    4. A major executive division of a government: the British Home Office.

    5. The canonical hours.

    6. A prayer service in the Anglican Church, such as Morning or Evening Prayer.

    7. A ceremony, rite, or service for a special purpose, especially the Office of the Dead.

  1. A duty or function assigned to or assumed by someone. See Synonyms at function.

  2. A position of authority, duty, or trust given to a person, as in a government or corporation: the office of vice president.

    1. A subdivision of a governmental department: the U.S. Patent Office.

    2. A major executive division of a government: the British Home Office.

    3. The canonical hours.

    4. A prayer service in the Anglican Church, such as Morning or Evening Prayer.

    5. A ceremony, rite, or service for a special purpose, especially the Office of the Dead.

  3. A public position: seek office.

  4. offices Chiefly British The parts of a house, such as the laundry and kitchen, in which servants carry out household work.

  5. A usually beneficial act performed for another. Often used in the plural.

  6. Ecclesiastical A ceremony, rite, or service, usually prescribed by liturgy, especially:

    1. The canonical hours.

    2. A prayer service in the Anglican Church, such as Morning or Evening Prayer.

    3. A ceremony, rite, or service for a special purpose, especially the Office of the Dead.


[Middle English, from Old French, duty, from Latin officium; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

office 
c.1250, "a post, an employment to which certain duties are attached," from L. officium "service, duty, function, business" (in M.L., "church service"), lit. "work-doing," from ops (gen. opis) "power, might, abundance, means" (related to opus "work") + stem of facere "do, perform" (see factitious). Meaning "place for conducting business" first recorded c.1565. Office hours attested from 1841.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: of·fice
Function: noun
1 : a special duty, charge, or position conferred by governmental authority and for a public purpose office>; broadly : a special duty or position of authority office of trust>
2 : a place where business or administration is conducted or services are performed
3 : a special administrative department or unit <office of the district attorney>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Computing Dictionary

Office
Microsoft Office

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Idioms & Phrases

office

see box office; front office; land-office business; take office.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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