officer Hear it!

officer definition

of·fi·cer (ôf′i sər, äf′-)

noun

  1. anyone elected or appointed to an office or position of authority in a government, business, institution, society, etc.
  2. a police officer or constable
  3. a person appointed to a position of authority in the armed forces; specif., commissioned officer
  4. the captain or any of the mates of a merchant ship
  5. in certain honorary societies, a member of any grade above the lowest

Etymology: ME < Anglo-Fr & OFr officier < ML officiarius < L officium, office

transitive verb

  1. to provide with officers
  2. to command; direct; manage

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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