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Webster 1913 Edition

Officer

Of′fi-cer

,
Noun.
[F.
officier
. See
Office
, and cf.
Official
,
Noun.
]
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.
2.
(U. S. Mil.)
Specifically, a commissioned officer, in distinction from a warrant officer or an enlisted man.
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.

Of′fi-cer

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Officered
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Officering
.]
1.
To furnish with officers; to appoint officers over.
Marshall.
2.
To command as an officer;
as, veterans from old regiments
officered
the recruits
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Officer

OF'FICER

,
Noun.
A person commissioned or authorized to perform any public duty. Officers are civil, military or ecclesiastical. There are great officers of state, and subordinate officers. Military and naval officers of the same grade usually take rank according to the dates of their commissions. Non-commissioned officers are nominated by their captains, and appointed by the commanding officers of regiments.

OF'FICER

,
Verb.
T.
To furnish with officers; to appoint officers over.
Count Pulaski raised a legionary corps, which he officered principally with foreigners.

Definition 2024

officer

officer

English

A military officer

Noun

officer ‎(plural officers)

  1. One who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization, especially in military, police or government organizations.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 19, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.
  2. One who holds a public office.
  3. An agent or servant imparted with the ability, to some degree, to act on initiative.
  4. (colloquial, military) A commissioned officer.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

officer ‎(third-person singular simple present officers, present participle officering, simple past and past participle officered)

  1. (transitive) To supply with officers.
  2. (transitive) To command like an officer.

Synonyms

Translations

Related terms

Old French

Alternative forms

Noun

officer m ‎(oblique plural officers, nominative singular officers, nominative plural officer)

  1. officer

References

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman officer, officier, from Old French, from Late Latin officiarius ‎(“official”), from Latin officium ‎(“office”) + -ārius ‎(“-er”).

Pronunciation

Similar Results