Etymology Explorer › English

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...
4Latinofficiālis—
5Latinofficiumduty, service; office; obligation, an obligatory...
6Latinopificiumwork
7LatinopifexSomeone who does work ; worker, maker, framer,...
8LatinOpsearth goddess, fertility deity
9Latinoscenany bird by whose song cries augurs divined...
10Latinopscen—
11Latinob-towards; against
12Latinobolusobolus
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”

  • unofficially
  • unofficiality
  • unofficialness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gʷélHos →