officium

Latin

Alternative forms

• offitium

Etymology

A contraction of opificium, from Proto-Italic *opifakjom, an old derivative of ops, opis (“power, ability, resources”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ofˈfi.ki.um/, [ɔfˈfɪkiʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ofˈfi.t͡ʃi.um/, [ofˈfiːt͡ʃium]

Noun

officium n (genitive officiī or officī); second declension

1. duty, service, office

   Synonyms: mūnus, ministerium, negōtium, cūra, cūrātiō

2. (figurative) obligation, an obligatory service, visit, or gesture
3. (act of) kindness, favor, courtesy

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	officium	officia
Genitive	officiī officī1	officiōrum
Dative	officiō	officiīs
Accusative	officium	officia
Ablative	officiō	officiīs
Vocative	officium	officia

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Derived terms

• officialis, officialiter
• officīna

Descendants

• → Albanian: ofiq
• → Catalan: ofici
• Esperanto: ofico
  • Ido: ofico
• → French: office
  • → English: office (see there for further descendants)
• → Galician: oficio
• → Koine Greek: ὀφφίκιον (ophphíkion)
  • Byzantine Greek: ὀφφίκιον (ophphíkion)
    • Greek: οφίκιο (ofíkio)
• → Old Irish: oific
  • Irish: oifig
  • Scottish Gaelic: oifig
• Italian: ufficio, uffizio
• Ladin: ufize
• → Portuguese: ofício
• → Romanian: oficiu
• → Romansch: uffizi
• → Spanish: oficio

References

• “officium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “officium”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• officium in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• officium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to perform the last offices of affection: supremis officiis aliquem prosequi (vid sect. VI. 11., note Prosequi...)
    
  • to do one's duty: officium suum facere, servare, colere, tueri, exsequi, praestare
    
  • to fulfil one's duty in every detail: omnes officii partes exsequi
    
  • to fulfil one's duty in every detail: nullam officii partem deserere
    
  • to be exact, punctual in the performance of one's duty: diligentem esse in retinendis officiis
    
  • to neglect one's duty: officium suum deserere, neglegere
    
  • to return to one's duties: ad officium redire
    
  • it is a breach of duty to..: contra officium est c. Inf.
    
  • we are united by many mutual obligations: multa et magna inter nos officia intercedunt (Fam. 13. 65)
    
  • to be courteous, obliging to some one: in aliquem officia conferre
    
  • to be courteous, obliging to some one: aliquem officiis suis complecti, prosequi
    
  • a most courteous letter: litterae officii or humanitatis plenae
    
  • to reduce a people to their former obedience: aliquem ad officium (cf. sect. X. 7, note officium...) reducere (Nep. Dat. 2. 3)
    
  • (ambiguous) to perform the last rites for a person: supremo officio in aliquem fungi
    
  • (ambiguous) to do one's duty: officio suo satisfacere (Div. in Caec. 14. 47)
    
  • (ambiguous) to do one's duty: officio suo fungi
    
  • (ambiguous) to neglect one's duty: ab officio discedere
    
  • (ambiguous) to neglect one's duty: de, ab officio decedere
    
  • (ambiguous) to neglect one's duty: officio suo deesse (Fam. 7. 3)
    
  • (ambiguous) to remain faithful to one's duty: in officio manere (Att. 1. 3)
    
  • (ambiguous) to let oneself be perverted from one's duty: ab officio abduci, avocari
    
  • (ambiguous) without violating, neglecting one's duty: salvo officio (Off. 3. 1. 4)
    
  • (ambiguous) to keep good discipline amongst one's men: milites coercere et in officio continere (B. C. 1. 67. 4)
    
  • (ambiguous) to keep some one in subjection: aliquem in officio continere
    
  • (ambiguous) to remain in subjection: in officio manere, permanere
    

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin officium.

Noun

officium n (definite singular officiet, indefinite plural officier, definite plural officia or officiene)

1. (chiefly ecclesiastical) duty, office
2. (Christianity, historical) mass, service

References

• “officium” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “officium” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin officium.

Noun

officium n (definite singular officiet, indefinite plural officium, definite plural officia)

1. (chiefly ecclesiastical) duty, office
2. (Christianity, historical) mass, service

References

• “officium” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.