OFFICE

position, post, berth, office, spot, billet, place, situation

(noun) a job in an organization; “he occupied a post in the treasury”

function, office, part, role

(noun) 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”

office

(noun) a religious rite or service prescribed by ecclesiastical authorities; “the offices of the mass”

office, business office

(noun) place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed; “he rented an office in the new building”

agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office, authority

(noun) an administrative unit of government; “the Central Intelligence Agency”; “the Census Bureau”; “Office of Management and Budget”; “Tennessee Valley Authority”

office, office staff

(noun) professional or clerical workers in an office; “the whole office was late the morning of the blizzard”

office, power

(noun) (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”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

office (plural offices)

(religion) A ceremonial duty or service, particularly

(Christianity) The authorized form of ceremonial worship of a church.

(Christianity, obsolete) Mass, (particularly) the introit sung at its beginning.

(Christianity) Any special liturgy, as the Office for the Dead or of the Virgin.

(Christianity) A daily service without the eucharist.

(Catholicism) The daily service of the breviary, the liturgy for each canonical hour, including psalms, collects, and lessons.

(Protestant) Various prayers used with modification as a morning or evening service.

(Christianity) Last rites.

A position of responsibility.

Official position, particularly high employment within government; tenure in such a position.

(obsolete) An official or group of officials; (figuratively) a personification of officeholders.

A duty, particularly owing to one's position or station; a charge, trust, or role; (obsolete, rare) moral duty.

(obsolete) The performance of a duty; an instance of performing a duty.

(archaic) Function: anything typically done by or expected of something.

(obsolete) A bodily function, (particularly) urination and defecation; an act of urination or defecation.

(now usually in plural) A service, a kindness.

(figuratively, slang) Inside information.

A room, set of rooms, or building used for non-manual work, particularly

A room, set of rooms, or building used for administration and bookkeeping.

A room, set of rooms, or building used for selling services or tickets to the public.

(chiefly, US, medical) A room, set of rooms, or building used for consultation and diagnosis, but not surgery or other major procedures.

(figuratively) The staff of such places.

(figuratively, in large organizations) The administrative departments housed in such places, particularly

(UK, AU, usually capitalized, with clarifying modifier) A ministry or other department of government.

(Catholicism, usually capitalized) Short for Holy Office: the court of final appeal in cases of heresy.

A particular place of business of a larger white-collar business.

(now in the plural, dated) The parts of a house or estate devoted to manual work and storage, as the kitchen, scullery, laundry, stables, etc, particularly (euphemism, dated) a house or estate's facilities for urination and defecation: outhouses or lavatories.

(UK law, historical) Clipping of inquest of office: an inquest undertaken on occasions when the Crown claimed the right of possession to land or property.

(obsolete) A piece of land used for hunting; the area of land overseen by a gamekeeper.

(figuratively, slang, obsolete) A hangout: a place where one is normally found.

(UK military slang, dated) A plane's cockpit, particularly an observer's cockpit.

(computing) A collection of business software typically including a word processor and spreadsheet and slideshow programs.

Usage notes

In reference to professional services, the term office is used with somewhat greater scope in American English, which speaks of doctor's offices etc, where British English generally prefers particular words such as surgery.

Synonyms

• (religious ritual): service, divine service, religious service, liturgy

• (Catholic ritual): Divine Office, breviary, Liturgy of the Hours, liturgy of the hours, canonical hours

• (position of responsibility): See office

• (doctor's office): surgery (UK)

• (major governmental division): department, ministry, bureau

• (facilities for urination and defecation): See bathroom

Hyponyms

• (position of responsibility): See office

• (site of non-manual work): ticket office, box office (selling tickets); post office (governmental mail services)

Verb

office (third-person singular simple present offices, present participle officing, simple past and past participle officed)

To provide (someone) with an office.

(intransitive) To have an office.

Anagrams

• coiffe

Source: Wiktionary

Of"fice, n. Etym: [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.

Definition: 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.)

Definition: 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

Of`fice, v. t.

Definition: To perform, as the duties of an office; to discharge. [Obs.] Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

OFFICE

Etymology

Noun

Usage notes

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Verb

Anagrams

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