Where does “unofficial” come from?

Unofficial derives from English official, from Latin officiālis, from Latin officium, combining Latin ops meaning "work" and Latin -ium, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ano-.

unofficial (English): Not officially established; Not acting with...

Definitions

  1. Not officially established; Not acting with...

Ancestry of “unofficial”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishofficialOf or pertaining to an office or public trust;...
2Middle EnglishofficialAn underling of a member of the clergy, often...
3Old Frenchofficialcourt official; chamber pot; official; certified...
4Latinofficiālisofficial
5Latinofficiumduty, service; office; obligation, an obligatory...
6Latinopificiumwork
7LatinopifexSomeone who does work (especially creative or constructive); worker, maker, framer, fabricator, workman, mechanic, artificer, craftsman, inventor, artist, artisan
8LatinOpsearth goddess, fertility deity
9Latinoscenany bird by whose song cries augurs divined...
10Latinopscen
11Latinob-towards; against
12Latinobolusobolus (Greek coin)
13Ancient Greekὀβολόςobol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and...
14Ancient Greekὀβελόςa spit, rod; a horizontal line
15Ancient Greekβέλοςmissile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly...
16Proto-Indo-EuropeangʷélHos

Words derived from “unofficial

Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷélHosEvery word from Latin ob-Every word from Latin opscen
unofficial — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer