Officeholders

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Persons who have been elected or appointed to positions of authority in governmental or organizational settings
2. Individuals serving in predetermined roles to carry out administrative functions and policies in various institutions
3. Persons who occupy officially designated positions within governments or organizations

Etymology: "Officeholder" is a plain compound: "office" joined to "holder," with the sense of a person who holds an office. The first element, "office," came into English from Old French "office," itself from Latin "officium," meaning duty, service, or a particular job. The second element traces back to Old English "healdan," meaning to hold, grasp, or keep, which is also the root of the modern verb "hold." The agent ending "-er" in "holder" is an Old English suffix, which means "one who holds." Together, "officeholder" names someone who holds an office in that sense. The word is a transparent formation, built from parts that were already English, so there is no dramatic shift in meaning to report. Its sense has stayed close to the literal one: someone holding a position of duty. The plural "officeholders" simply adds the regular "-s" to form more than one such person.

Synonyms: officials, administrators