a. | 1. | Of or pertaining to an office or public trust; |
2. | Derived from the proper office or officer, or from the proper authority; made or communicated by virtue of authority; | |
3. | (Pharm.) Approved by authority; sanctioned by the pharmacopia; appointed to be used in medicine; | |
4. | Discharging an office or function. | |
n. | 1. | One who holds an office; esp., a subordinate executive officer or attendant. |
2. | An ecclesiastical judge appointed by a bishop, chapter, archdeacon, etc., with charge of the spiritual jurisdiction. |
Noun | 1. | ![]() Synonyms: functionary |
2. | official - someone who administers the rules of a game or sport; "the golfer asked for an official who could give him a ruling" | |
Adj. | 1. | official - having official authority or sanction; "official permission"; "an official representative" Antonyms: unofficial - not having official authority or sanction; "a sort of unofficial mayor"; "an unofficial estimate"; "he participated in an unofficial capacity" |
2. | official - of or relating to an office; "official privileges" | |
3. | official - verified officially; "the election returns are now official" | |
4. | official - conforming to set usage, procedure, or discipline; "in prescribed order" Synonyms: prescribed | |
5. | official - (of a church) given official status as a national or state institution |
OFFICIAL, civil and canon laws. In the ancient civil law, the person who was
the minister of, or attendant upon a magistrate, was called the official.
2. In the canon law, the person to whom the bishop generally commits
the charge of his spiritual jurisdiction, bears this name. Wood's Inst. 30,
505; Merl. Repert. h.t.