n. [ F., fr. L. officium, for opificium; ops ability, wealth, help + facere to do or make. See Opulent, Fact. ] 1. That which a person does, either voluntarily or by appointment, for, or with reference to, others; customary duty, or a duty that arises from the relations of man to man; as, kind offices, pious offices. [ 1913 Webster ]

I would I could do a good office between you. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A special duty, trust, charge, or position, conferred by authority and for a public purpose; a position of trust or authority; as, an executive or judical office; a municipal office. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A charge or trust, of a sacred nature, conferred by God himself; as, the office of a priest under the old dispensation, and that of the apostles in the new. [ 1913 Webster ]

Inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office. Rom. xi. 13. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. That which is performed, intended, or assigned to be done, by a particular thing, or that which anything is fitted to perform; a function; -- answering to duty in intelligent beings. [ 1913 Webster ]

They [ the eyes ] resign their office and their light. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hesperus, whose office is to bring
Twilight upon the earth. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

In this experiment the several intervals of the teeth of the comb do the office of so many prisms. Sir I. Newton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The place where any kind of business or service for others is transacted; a building, suite of rooms, or room in which public officers or workers in any organization transact business; as, the register's office; a lawyer's office; the doctor's office; the Mayor's office. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

6. The company or corporation, or persons collectively, whose place of business is in an office; as, I have notified the office. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. pl. The apartments or outhouses in which the domestics discharge the duties attached to the service of a house, as kitchens, pantries, stables, etc. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

As for the offices, let them stand at distance. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Eccl.) Any service other than that of ordination and the Mass; any prescribed religious service. [ 1913 Webster ]

This morning was read in the church, after the office was done, the declaration setting forth the late conspiracy against the king's person. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

Holy office. Same as Inquisition, n., 3. --
Houses of office. Same as def. 7 above. Chaucer. --
Little office (R. C. Ch.), an office recited in honor of the Virgin Mary. --
Office bearer, an officer; one who has a specific office or duty to perform. --
Office copy (Law), an authenticated or certified copy of a record, from the proper office. See Certified copies, under Copy. Abbott. --
Office-found (Law), the finding of an inquest of office. See under Inquest. --
Office holder. See Officeholder in the Vocabulary --
Office hours. the hours of the day during which business is transacted at an office{ 5 }. --
Office seeker. a person who is attempting to get elected to an elected office, or to get an appointment to an appointive public office. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

v. t. To perform, as the duties of an office; to discharge. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A person who holds an office; an officeholder. [ Chiefly British ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who holds an office; an officer, particularly one in the civil service; a placeman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. officier. See Office, and cf. Official, n. ] 1. One who holds an office; a person lawfully invested with an office, whether civil, military, or ecclesiastical; as, a church officer; a police officer; a staff officer. “I am an officer of state.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (U. S. Mil.) Specifically, a commissioned officer, in distinction from a warrant officer or an enlisted man. [ 1913 Webster ]

Field officer,
General officer, etc. See under Field, General. etc. --
Officer of the day (Mil.), the officer who, on a given day, has charge for that day of the guard, prisoners, and police of the post or camp; abbreviated O. D., OD, or O. O. D. --
Officer of the deck, or
Officer of the watch (Naut.), the officer temporarily in charge on the deck of a vessel, esp. a war vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Officered p. pr. & vb. n. Officering. ] 1. To furnish with officers; to appoint officers over. Marshall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To command as an officer; as, veterans from old regiments officered the recruits. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Elec.) Copper wire with a strong but light insulation, used in wiring houses, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]