Office

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɒf.ɪs/

Definitions

1. A room or building where professional, administrative, or clerical work is conducted
2. A place dedicated to performing business activities, administrative functions, or professional tasks
3. A designated space where professional duties, administrative tasks, or business operations are carried out

Etymology: The English noun "office" has a surprisingly humble ancestor: Latin "opificium" meant "the act of building or the thing built." It was built from "opifex," a craftsman or doer of work, which combined "opus" (work) with a form of "facere" (to do or make). Over time the sense shifted from the physical act of making things toward duty and then toward position, so a Latin "officium" could mean a moral obligation, an official post, or a ceremony, especially the last rites for the dead. Through Old French, the word reached Middle English with these senses of duty and public function. The meaning of a room or building where work is done is a later development, which grew naturally out of the idea of a post or function carried out in a particular place. The religious sense of the word "office" is a different story, since it displaced the native Old English "hād" in that usage.

Synonyms: workspace, bureau

Antonyms: home