An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organisation or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either his own or that of his superior and/or employer, public or legally private). In Politics, a mandate is the Authority granted by an Electorate to act as its representative. An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an Organization with specific duties attached An organisation (or organization &mdash see spelling differences) is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals which controls its own performance and For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. In Politics, authority ( Latin Auctoritas, used in Roman law as opposed to Potestas and Imperium

A government official or functionary is an official who is involved in public administration or government, through either election, appointment, or employment. Public administration can be broadly described as the development implementation and study of branches of government Policy. An election is a Decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold formal office Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A bureaucrat is a member of the bureaucracy. A bureaucrat is a member of a Bureaucracy, usually within an institution of the Government. Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity usually in large organizations and government An elected official is a person who is an official by virtue of an election. Officials may also be appointed ex officio (by virtue of another office, often in a specified capacity, such as presiding, advisory, secretary). C D E Some official positions may be inherited. "Heir" and "Heiress" redirect here For the men and women fragrances endorsed by Paris Hilton see Heiress (fragrance.

A person who currently holds an office is referred to as an incumbent.

Contents 1 Word history 2 Uses of the noun 2.1 In Roman Antiquity 2.2 Ecclesiastical judiciary 2.3 Other officials 2.4 Max Weber on bureaucratic officials 3 Official as an adjective 4 See also 5 Sources and references

Word history

The word official as a noun has been recorded since the Middle English period, first seen in 1314. Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of It comes from the Old French official (12th century), from the Latin officialis ("attendant to a magistrate, public official"), the noun use of the original adjective officialis ("of or belonging to duty, service, or office") from officium ("office"). Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. In Grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntactic role is to modify a Noun or Pronoun, giving more information about the The meaning "person in charge of some public work or duty" was first recorded in 1555. The adjective is first attested in English in 1533, via the Old French oficial.

The informal term officialese, the jargon of "officialdom," was first recorded in 1884. For Wikipedia jargon see WikipediaGlossary. For hacker slang see Jargon File.

Uses of the noun

In Roman Antiquity

An officialis (plural officiales) was the official term (somewhat comparable to a modern civil servant) for any member of the officium (staff) of a high dignitary such as a governor. Officium (plural officia) is a Latin word with various meanings in Ancient Rome, including "service" "(sense of duty" "courtesy"

Ecclesiastical judiciary

In Canon law, the word or its Latin original officialis is used absolutely as the legal title of a diocesan bishop's judicial vicar who shares the bishop's ordinary judicial power over the diocese and presides over the diocesan ecclesiastical court. Canon Law, the Ecclesiastical law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system with all the necessary elements courts lawyers judges a fully articulated In the broadest sense a vicar (from the Latin Vicarius) is a representative anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office An ecclesiastical court (also called "Court Christian" or "Court Spiritual" is any of certain Courts having Jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or

The 1983 Code of Canon Law gives precedence to the title Judicial Vicar, rather than that of Officialis (canon 1420). In the broadest sense a vicar (from the Latin Vicarius) is a representative anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches uses only the title Judicial Vicar (canon 191).

In German, the related noun Offizialat was also used for an official bureau in a diocese that did much of its administration, comprising the vicariate-general, an adjoined secretariat, a registry office and a chancery. A vicar general (often abbreviated VG) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority

The title of official principal, together with that of vicar-general, has in Anglicanism? England been merged in that of Diocesan chancellor of a diocese. A vicar general (often abbreviated VG) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority A diocesan chancery is the branch of administration which handles all written documents used in the official government of a Roman Catholic or Anglican Diocese

Other officials

In sports, the term official is used to describe a person enforcing playing rules in the capacity of a linesman, referee and umpire; also specified by the discipline, e. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively A referee is a person who has authority to make decisions about play in many Sports Officials in various sports are known by a variety of titles including referee A referee is a person who has authority to make decisions about play in many Sports Officials in various sports are known by a variety of titles including referee g. American football official, Ice hockey official. In American football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game In Ice hockey, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game

The term officer is close to being a synonym (but has more military connotations). This word has distinct meanings in other fields see Connotation (semiotics and Connotation and denotation. A functionary is someone who carries out a particular role within an organization; this again is quite a close synonym for official, as a noun, but with connotations closer to bureaucrat. A bureaucrat is a member of a Bureaucracy, usually within an institution of the Government. Any such person acts in their official capacity, in carrying out the duties of their office; they are also said to officiate, for example in a ceremony. A ceremony is an activity infused with Ritual significance performed on a special occasion A public official is an official of central or local government. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government.

Max Weber on bureaucratic officials

Max Weber gave as definition of a bureaucratic official :

• he is personally free and appointed to his position on the basis of conduct
• he exercises the authority delegated to him in accordance with impersonal rules, and his loyalty is enlisted on behalf of the faithful execution of his official duties
• his appointment and job placement are dependent upon his technical qualifications
• his administrative work is a full-time occupation
• his work is rewarded by a regular salary and prospects of advancement in a lifetime career. Maximilian Carl Emil Weber (maks 'veːbɐ (21 April 1864 &ndash 14 June 1920 was a German political economist and sociologist who was considered

An official must exercise his judgment and his skills, but his duty is to place these at the service of a higher authority; ultimately he is responsible only for the impartial execution of assigned tasks and must sacrifice his personal judgment if it runs counter to his official duties.

Official as an adjective

As an adjective, official often but not always means pertaining to the government, either as state employee or having state recognition, or to analogous governance, or to formal (especially legally regulated) proceeding as opposed to informal business. In Grammar, an adjective is a word whose main syntactic role is to modify a Noun or Pronoun, giving more information about the Some examples:

• An official holiday is a public holiday, having national (or regional) recognition. Lists of holidays The words holiday or vacation have related meanings in different English-speaking countries and continents but will usually refer to one of
• An official language is a language recognised by a government, for its own use in administration, or for the use of citizens (for example on signposts). An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory Most countries post signage known as traffic signs or road signs, at the side of Roads to
• An official spokesperson would be an individual empowered to speak for the government, or some part of it such as a ministry, on a range of issues and on the record for the media. A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of Government Public administration, sometimes led by a minister, but usually a senior "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press"
• An official statement is issued by an organisation as an expression of its corporate position or opinion; an official apology is an apology similarly issued by an organisation (as opposed to an apology by an individual).
• Official policy is policy publicly acknowledged and defended by an organisation. In these cases unofficial is an antonym, and variously may mean informal, unrecognised, personal or unacknowledged.
• An official strike is a strike organised and recognised by a labour union, as opposed to an unofficial strike at grassroots level. Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by Employees to perform work. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming
• An official school is a school administered by the government or by a local authority, as opposite to a private school or religious school. A school (from Greek σχολεῖον - scholeion) is an Institution designed to allow and encourage Students (or "pupils" For the film of this title see Private School (film. Private schools, or Independent schools are Schools not administered Parochial school is one term used (particularly in the United States) to describe a school that engages in Religious education in addition to conventional Education
• An official history, for example of an institution or business, or particularly of a war or military unit, is a history written as a commission, with the assumption of co-operation with access to records and archives; but without necessarily full editorial independence. War is an international relations Dispute, characterized by organized Violence between National Military units A military organization is a way of structuring the armed forces of a State as a need to offer Military capability required by the National defence policy Editorial independence is the freedom of editors to make decisions without interference from the owners of a publication
• An official biography is usually on the same lines, written with access to private papers and the support of the family of the subject.

See also

• Coordinatorism is an economic system ruled not by the nominal owners but by a new class of managers and officials
• official trip

Sources and references

(incomplete)

• This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. Coordinatorism is a term for detrimental effects of individuals taking on coordinating roles as part of any effort at organisation The New Class is a term to describe the privileged Ruling class of Bureaucrats and Communist party functionaries which typically arises in a Stalinist A business trip or official trip is a travel/journey caused by business necessities The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
• Etymology OnLine
• Pauly-Wissowa

The Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft, commonly called the "Pauly-Wissowa", is a German Encyclopedia of

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