English

official

/əˈfɪʃəl/
Of or about an office or public trust.

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    Origin

    From Middle English official, from Old French official, from Latin officiālis, from Latin officium (“duty, service”), by surface analysis, office + -ial.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*h₃ep- “to work; produce in abundance”
    • inheritedMiddle Englishofficial
      • derivedOld Frenchofficial
        • derivedLatinofficiālis
          • derivedLatinofficium “personal, official, or moral duty; official position; function; ceremony, esp. last rites”
    • surface analysisEnglishoffice “A ceremonial duty or service, particularly”
    • surface analysisEnglish-ial “Forms a noun from a verb ending in -y.”

    Sources