office

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A room or building where people work, usually at desks.

   She works in a large office in the city centre.

2. 2
   noun

   An important position of authority, especially in government.

   He held the office of mayor for eight years.

3. 3
   noun

   The state of being in a position of power.

   The party has been in office since the last election.

Common collocations

• a home office Adjective + noun
• a branch office Adjective + noun
• a government office Adjective + noun
• a head office Adjective + noun
• hold office Verb + noun
• leave office Verb + noun
• take office Verb + noun

From Middle English office, from Old French office, from Latin officium (“personal, official, or moral duty; official position; function; ceremony, esp. last rites”), contracted from opificium (“construction: the act of building or the thing built”), from opifex (“doer of work, craftsman”) + -ium (“-y”, forming actions), from op- (“work”) + -i- (connective) + -fex (combining form of faciō (“to do, to make”)). The computing sense is a genericization of various proprietary program suites, such as Microsoft Office.

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