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"officer (military)" in seven languages

Meaningofficer (military)

Spanish

oficial

/ofiˈθjal/

masc.learned

French

officier

/ɔfisje/

masc.learned

Italian

ufficiale

/uffiˈtʃale/

masc.learned

Portuguese

oficial

/ofisiˈaw/

masc.learned

Romanian

ofițer

/ofiˈtser/

masc.borrowed · Russian ofitser and German Offizier (from French officier)

Catalan

oficial

/ufisiˈal/

masc.learned

English

officer

/ˈɔfɪsɚ/

from Latin/French · Anglo-Norman officer

English → Italianofficer (military)ufficialeCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

OFFICIUM‘duty, service (Medieval Latin OFFICIĀLIS, OFFICIĀRIUS 'office-holder')’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

An officer holds an office, OFFICIUM 'duty'. French took the -ĀRIUS form (officier, followed by English); Spanish and Italian took -ĀLIS. A police officer is an agente, agent, agente.

English relatives: office, official, officious

Sound laws at work

C before E and I

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In a sentence

  • esMi abuelo era oficial del ejército.
  • frMon grand-père était officier dans l'armée.
  • itMio nonno era ufficiale dell'esercito.
  • ptMeu avô era oficial do exército.
  • roBunicul meu a fost ofițer în armată.
  • caEl meu avi era oficial de l'exèrcit.
  • enMy grandfather was an army officer.

More words from the same Latin

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