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Where did the word 'officious' come from?
What does the word 'officious' mean?
What does the word 'officious' mean in a dream wedding?
Are We being too officious?
The earliest known use of the adjective officious is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for officious is from around 1487, in a translation by John Skelton, poet.
Aug 19, 2019 · officious. (adj.) 1560s, "zealous, attentive, eager to serve," from Latin officiosus "full of courtesy, dutiful, obliging," from officium "duty, service" (see office). Sense of "meddlesome, doing more than is asked or required" had emerged by 1600 (in officiously).
Word Origin late 15th cent.: from Latin officiosus ‘obliging’, from officium ‘performance of a task’ (in medieval Latin also ‘office, divine service’), based on opus ‘work’ + facere ‘do’. The original sense was ‘performing its function, effective’, which led to the meaning ‘ready to help or please’ (mid 16th cent ...
As with some key words in your hypothetical dream wedding, officious comes from the Latin noun officium, meaning “service” or “office.” In its early use, officious meant “eager to serve, help, or perform a duty,” but that meaning is now obsolete, and the word today typically describes a person who offers unwanted advice or help.
officious. adjective. disapproving uk / əˈfɪʃ.əs / us / əˈfɪʃ.əs / Add to word list. too eager to tell people what to do and having too high an opinion of your own importance: He's an officious little man and widely disliked in the company. Synonyms. interfering. meddlesome disapproving. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
The adjective 'officious' has its etymological roots in Latin. It is derived from the Latin word 'officiosus,' which comes from 'officium,' meaning 'duty' or 'office.' Originally, 'officious' was used to describe individuals who were dutiful or conscientious in carrying out their responsibilities.
If you describe someone as officious, you are critical of them because they are eager to tell people what to do when you think they should not.
