officiel

Forms

officiel (feminine officielle, masculine plural officiels, feminine plural officielles)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English official, borrowed in 1778 in a text translated from English.^[2][3][4] The English word is from Late Latin officiālis (“relating to a duty or office”),^[2][4] from officium (“duty, office”).^[3][5] Rey traces the English noun (1340) to Old French official, and the adjective “public, issued by authority” (16th century) to the Latin directly.^[3] Bloch and Wartburg note that the word was taken to express a sense different from officieux.^[4] The same Latin word, in a Church sense, had already given the Old French noun for an “ecclesiastical judge” about 1180, modern official.^[4][3] Wiktionary instead derives the French adjective from Old French and Latin.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first recorded in 1778, in the Courrier de l'Europe, meaning “issued by a recognized authority, carrying its guarantee”.^[2][3] In 1791 the grammarian Domergue wrote that it seemed to date from a few years before the Revolution, citing nouvelles officielles and lettre officielle.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In its first sense the word is opposed to officieux.^[3] In the 19th century it came to mean “made public according to custom” (Stendhal, 1822, of a formal introduction to a bride); in art “conforming to strict rules”, often pejorative (Stendhal, 1825); in cooking “authoritative, consecrated by tradition” (Brillat-Savarin, 1825, la recette officielle); and “organized by the authorities” (dîner officiel, 1825).^[2][3] The Journal officiel was founded on 2 January 1869.^[2]

In popular use, perhaps from the mid-20th century, officiel means “certain, genuine”, also as an exclamation, officiel !.^[3] The adverb officiellement was first formed as officialement (1777) after the English word.^[3]

Timeline

• 1777 – The adverb appears as officialement.^[3]
• 1778 – First record of officiel, in the Courrier de l'Europe.^[2][3][4]
• 1791 – Domergue comments on the new word.^[2]
• 1822 – Stendhal uses it for what is made public by custom.^[2][3]
• 1825 – Brillat-Savarin speaks of la recette officielle and dîner officiel.^[2]
• 1869 – The Journal officiel is founded.^[2]
• 1933 – The derivative officialisation is recorded.^[2][3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Issued by the government or a recognized authority: un communiqué officiel, langue officielle.^[5][2]
2. Announced or confirmed by a competent authority, and by extension, (familiar) public, known to all: leurs fiançailles sont officielles.^[5]
3. (pejorative) Presented as true by the authorities: la version officielle.^[5]
4. Organized by the authorities, as opposed to private: une visite officielle.^[5][2]
5. Of a person: holding an official post.^[5]

Noun

1. An official, a person in authority, or one who runs or judges a sports event.^[5]
2. L'Officiel: the Journal officiel.^[5][6]

Word family

• officiellement
• officialiser
• officialisation

Related words

• office
• official
• officieux
• officialité

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse