{{Short description|Someone who holds an office}} {{Other uses|Official (disambiguation)}} {{redirect|Functionaries|the users on Wikipedia|Wikipedia:Functionaries|selfref=y}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}} [[File:Ambtenaar Louis Dusée Zwaansteeg Utrecht v2.jpg|thumb|right|''{{Lang|nl|Ambtenaar}}'' ("government official"), by Louis Dusée, Utrecht, 1961]] An '''official''' is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of their superior or employer, public or legally private). The term ''officer'' is close to being a synonym, but it has more military connotations. 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). Some official positions may be inherited. A '''public official''' is an official of central or local government. A person who currently holds an office is referred to as an incumbent. Used as an adjective, something "official" refers to something endowed with governmental or other authoritative recognition or mandate, as in official language, official gazette, or official scorer.
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. 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. In some court cases, claims made against an organisation because of its alleged actions may also be brought against persons "acting in their official capacity". In the UK, the Supreme Court case of ''TRA, R. v. United Kingdom'' (2019) looks into this usage and provides details of some significant court cases where "acting in an official capacity" has been interpreted.<ref>''Casemine'', [https://www.casemine.com/commentary/uk/defining-'person-acting-in-an-official-capacity'-under-section-134-cja:-tra-v.-united-kingdom-2019-uksc-51/view Defining 'Person Acting in an Official Capacity' under Section 134 CJA: TRA v. United Kingdom [2019] UKSC 51], published 14 November 2019, accessed on 4 November 2025</ref>
==Etymology== The word ''official'' as a noun has been recorded since the Middle English period, first seen in 1314.<ref name=":1">{{cite news |date=25 Nov 2018 |title=Official vs. Officially - What's the difference? |publisher=Ask Difference |url=https://www.askdifference.com/official-vs-officially/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006224633/https://www.askdifference.com/official-vs-officially/ |archive-date=6 October 2022}}</ref> It comes from the Old French ''{{Lang|ang|official}}'' (12th century), from the Latin ''{{Lang|la|officialis}}'' ("attendant to a magistrate, government official"), the noun use of the original adjective ''{{Lang|la|officialis}}'' ("of or belonging to duty, service, or office") from ''{{Lang|la|officium}}'' ("office"). 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 ''{{Lang|ang|oficial}}''. The informal term ''officialese'', the jargon of "officialdom", was first recorded in 1884.
==Noun== ===Roman antiquity=== {{Unreferenced section|date=February 2023}}An ''{{Lang|la|officialis}}'' (plural ''{{Lang|la|officiales}}'') was the official term (somewhat comparable to a modern civil servant) for any member of the {{Lang|la|officium}} (staff) of a high dignitary such as a governor.
===Ecclesiastical judiciary=== {{Catholic Church hierarchy sidebar|Administrative and pastoral titles}} {{Canon Law}}In canon law, the word or its Latin original '''''{{Lang|la|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.
The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' gives precedence to the title judicial vicar, rather than that of {{lang|la|officialis}} (canon 1420). The ''Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches'' uses only the title judicial vicar (canon 191).
In German, the related noun ''{{Lang|de|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.
In Catholicism, the vicar-general was originally called the "official" (''{{Lang|la|officialis}}'').<ref>{{cite Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Diocese |volume= |first=Alphonse |last=van Hove}}</ref>
The title of '''official principal''', together with that of vicar-general, has in Anglicanism been merged in that of diocesan chancellor of a diocese.<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Official |volume=20 |page=22}}</ref>
===Sports=== In sports, the term official is used to describe a person enforcing playing rules in the capacity of an assistant referee, referee and umpire; also specified by the discipline, e.g. American football official, ice hockey official. An official competition is created or recognized as valid by the competent body, is agreed to or arranged by people in positions of authority.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=official, adjective |publisher=Cambridge Dictionary |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/official |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123223009/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/official |archive-date=23 November 2022}}</ref> It is synonymous, among others, with approved, certified, recognized, endorsed, and legitimate.<ref name=":2">{{cite news |title=Synonyms for official |publisher=Thesaurus.com |url=https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/official |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607175915/https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/official |archive-date=7 June 2022}}</ref>
===Max Weber on bureaucratic officials=== {{unreferenced section|date=June 2017}} Max Weber gave as definition of a bureaucratic official: *they are personally free and appointed to their position on the basis of conduct *he exercises the authority delegated to them in accordance with impersonal rules, and their loyalty is enlisted on behalf of the faithful execution of their official duties *their appointment and job placement are dependent upon their technical qualifications *their administrative work is a full-time occupation *their work is rewarded by a regular salary and prospects of advancement in a lifetime career.
An official must exercise their judgment and their skills, but their duty is to place these at the service of a higher authority; ultimately they are responsible only for the impartial execution of assigned tasks and must sacrifice their personal judgment if it runs counter to their official duties.
==Adjective== As an adjective, "official" often, but not always, means pertaining to the government, as state employee or having state recognition, or analogous to governance or to a formal (especially legally regulated) proceeding as opposed to informal business. In summary, that has authenticity emanates from an authority. Some examples: *An ''official holiday'' is a public holiday, having national (or regional) recognition. *An official language is a language recognised by a government, for its own use in administration, or for delivering services to its citizens (for example, on signposts). *An ''official spokesperson'' is 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. *An ''official statement'' is an issued by an organisation as an expression of its corporate position or opinion;{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} an ''official apology'' is an apology similarly issued by an organisation (as opposed to an apology by an individual).{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} *''Official policy'' is policy publicly acknowledged and defended by an organisation.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} 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. *An ''official school'' is a school administered by the government or by a local authority, as opposite to a private school or religious school.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} *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.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} *An ''official biography'' is usually on the same lines, written with access to private papers and the support of the family of the subject.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}
==See also== * Canonical * Politician * Term of office * Title
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == {{wiktionary|official}} *{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Office |volume=20 |page=16 |short=x}} *{{cite web | title=official - Search | website=Online Etymology Dictionary | url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=official&searchmode=none | access-date=25 October 2018}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Ecclesiastical titles Category:Positions of authority Category:Government occupations