Where does “unofficially” come from?
Unofficially derives from English unofficial, from Latin officialis meaning "of or relating to duty," itself from Latin officium, combining Latin unus meaning "one" with Latin ops meaning "work" and the suffix -alis.
unofficially (English): In a way that is not official
Definitions
- In a way that is not official
Ancestry of “unofficially”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | unofficial | Not officially established; Not acting with... |
| 2 | English | official | Of or pertaining to an office or public trust;... |
| 3 | Middle English | official | An underling of a member of the clergy, often... |
| 4 | Old French | official | court official; chamber pot; official; certified... |
| 5 | Latin | officiālis | official |
| 6 | Latin | officium | duty, service; office; obligation, an obligatory... |
| 7 | Latin | opificium | work |
| 8 | Latin | opifex | Someone who does work (especially creative or constructive); worker, maker, framer, fabricator, workman, mechanic, artificer, craftsman, inventor, artist, artisan |
| 9 | Latin | Ops | earth goddess, fertility deity |
| 10 | Latin | oscen | any bird by whose song cries augurs divined... |
| 11 | Latin | opscen | — |
| 12 | Latin | ob- | towards; against |
| 13 | Latin | obolus | obolus (Greek coin) |
| 14 | Ancient Greek | ὀβολός | obol, obolus, used at Athens as both a weight and... |
| 15 | Ancient Greek | ὀβελός | a spit, rod; a horizontal line |
| 16 | Ancient Greek | βέλος | missile, arrow, dart; weapon; something quickly... |