Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

officiate

/əˈfɪ.ʃi.eɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.64 in modern English

Syllables
of-fi-ci-ate
IPA
/əˈfɪ.ʃi.eɪt/
17
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To perform the functions of some office.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To serve as umpire or referee.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

noun

A person appointed to office, an official.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin officiātus, perfect participle of Late Latin officior (“to perform a function”) and of Medieval Latin officiō (“to officiate, say mass (9th cent.); to serve a church (13th cent.); to serve (early 13th c., 14th in British sources); to discharge an office (14th c.)”), from Latin officium (“official duty, service”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). The noun is derived from Medieval Latin officiātus (“monk in charge of a monastic office, official (start of 12th c., 14th in British sources)”), substantivized from the participle, see -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₃ep-, officior, officiō, officium, officiātus

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce officiate?
The recorded pronunciation is /əˈfɪ.ʃi.eɪt/.
What does officiate mean?
To perform the functions of some office.
Where does officiate come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce officiate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “officiate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/əˈfɪ.ʃi.eɪt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “officiate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “officiate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.