officio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ɔfˈfɪ.ki.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ofˈfiː.t͡ʃi.o]^[1]

Forms

officiō (present infinitive officere, perfect active offēcī, supine offectum); third (-iō variant) conjugation^[1] Also spelled obficiō.^[2]

Etymology

It is from Latin ob- (“against”) + faciō (“to make, act”).^[3][1] De Vaan traces ⟨faciō⟩ to Proto-Italic *fak-i-, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁-k- (“to make”), an extension of *dʰeh₁- (“to put”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Varro, of blocking light or view.^[3] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Usually with a dative, it meant to block the path of something, check movement, as in Sallust; to get in the way of someone's light or view, as in Varro; to impede the functions or health of something; and to be an obstacle to someone's aims, stand in the way, as in Cicero.^[3][2] It also meant to put something on as a covering, whence offectōrēs, dyers who changed a colour.^[3]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to impede, hinder, oppose, hurt.^[6]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of blocking light.^[3][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of obstacles to aims.^[3][5]
• 86–34 BC – Sallust uses it of checking movement.^[3][5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To block the path of; to check, impede.^[3]
2. To get in the way of someone's light or view.^[3]
3. To interfere with the functions or health of.^[3]
4. To be an obstacle to, stand in the way of.^[3]
5. To put on as a covering.^[3]

Word family

• offector
• offectus

Related words

• faciō
• officium

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson