Where does “public information officer” come from?

public information officer (English) comes from English officer, from Middle English officer, from Anglo-Norman officer, from Latin officiārius, from French officier, from German Offizier, from Old French officer, from Medieval Latin officiarius — to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing.

public information officer (English): A government official who coordinates an agency's public communications; a spokesperson

Definitions

  1. A government official who coordinates an agency's public communications; a spokesperson

Ancestry of “public information officer”, step by step

public information officer traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via English officer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishofficerOne who has a position of authority in a...
2Middle EnglishofficerA hireling or subordinate; one employed to serve,...
3Anglo-Normanofficerofficer
4Latinofficiāriusofficer
5Frenchofficierto officiate; officer
6GermanOffizierofficer, commissioned officer; any chess piece...
7Old Frenchofficerofficer
8Medieval Latinofficiariusofficer
9Latinofficiumduty, service; office; obligation, an obligatory...
10Latinopificiumwork
11LatinopifexSomeone who does work (especially creative or constructive); worker, maker, framer, fabricator, workman, mechanic, artificer, craftsman, inventor, artist, artisan
12LatinOpsearth goddess, fertility deity
13Latinoscenany bird by whose song cries augurs divined...
14Latinopscen
15Latinob-towards; against
16Latinobolusobolus (Greek coin)
17Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
18Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
19Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
20Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos
21Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷelH-to throw, reach, pierce; to hit by throwing

via English information

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishinformationThat which resolves uncertainty; anything that...
2Middle EnglishenformaciounTeaching, education; the dissemination of knowledge
3Latinīnfōrmātiōsketch, idea, conception
4Latin-tiōtion, -ation, -ing
5Latindissertātiō(spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition
6Latindissertusarranged, disposed; explained
7Latindissereresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
8Latindis-asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;...
9Latincalceusshoe
10Latincalxlimestone; chalk; the finish line
11Ancient Greekχάλιξsmall stone, pebble; gravel, rubble

via English public

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpublicAble to be seen or known by everyone; open to...
2Middle Englishpublik
3Middle Frenchpublic
4Latinpūblicusof or belonging to the people, state, or community
5Old LatinpoplicusAlternative form of publicus
6Latinpōpulusa people, nation
7Proto-Italicpoplosarmy
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷelH-
public information officer — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer