Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ


Sep 20, 2002
This week's theme
Words that have changed

This week's words
demagogue
decimate
feisty
egregious
officious


"A delightful, quirky collection"
-The New York Times

A Word A Day: A Romp Through Some of the Most Unusual and Intriguing Words in English
ISBN 978-0471230328
More reviews

Next week’s theme
Words about wordplay
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

officious

(o-FISH-uhs) Pronunciation

adjective:
1. Excessively eager in offering unwanted or unneeded advice or help.
2. Unofficial.

[From Latin officiosus (dutiful), from officium (service).]

"It (the petition) demands that the traffic officials of Grahamstown `return to being polite public servants, working for the good and safety of the community, rather than the rude and officious revenue officers they have become...'"
Cecile Greyling; Teacher Launches Petition Against Traffic Department Repression; East Cape News (Grahamstown, South Africa); Jun 13, 2002.

"The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule."
Robert Browning; My Last Duchess; 1842.

X-Bonus

We grow tyrannical fighting tyranny. The most alarming spectacle today is not the spectacle of the atomic bomb in an unfederated world, it is the spectacle of the Americans beginning to accept the device of loyalty oaths and witchhunts, beginning to call anybody they don't like a Communist. -E.B. White, writer (1899-1985)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith