Officiality

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality of being official encompasses the aspects of formal approval, recognition by authorities, and the observance of established norms
2. An aspect of formal recognition involves adherence to rules, authorization by relevant entities, and the legitimacy of procedures
3. The state of being recognized as formal includes the adherence to prescribed protocols, endorsement by relevant authorities, and the validity of established practices

Etymology: "Officiality" is a plain formation: the adjective "official" with the English suffix "-ity," which turns adjectives into abstract nouns of quality (as in "curiosity" from "curious"). The result names the quality of being official, meaning the state of having authorized, formal standing. The word may also have come into English directly from French "officialité," which in turn comes from Medieval Latin "officialitas," a term built on "officialis," an official or functionary. Both routes lead to the same sense, so English speakers could have reached the word either by adding a suffix to a word they already had or by borrowing a ready-made term from French. The Latin root carries the older idea of a person holding an office, a duty attached to a post, and the modern sense of formal authorization grows out of that.

Synonyms: formality, legitimacy, authority, sanction, recognition

Antonyms: informality, illegitimacy, unofficialness, casualness, disregard