əˈfɪʃəl adj. & n. --adj. 1 of or relating to an
office (see OFFICE n. 5, 6) or
its tenure or duties. 2
characteristic of officials
and bureaucracy. 3 emanating
from or attributable to a
person in office;
properly authorized. 4
holding office; employed in a
public capacity. 5
Med.
according to
the pharmacopoeia,
officinal. --n. 1 a person holding office or
engaged in official duties. 2 (in full official principal) the presiding
officer or
judge of an archbishop's, bishop's, or
esp. archdeacon's
court. øofficial
birthday Brit. a
day in
June chosen for the
observance of the sovereign's birthday. official secrets
confidential information involving
national security. øøofficialdom n. officialism n. officially adv. [ME (as noun) f. OF f. L officialis (as OFFICE)]