The term office has a rich history dating back to the fourteenth century when it was known as offiz. Over the years, various spellings such as offys, offes, officis, offis, offyce, and ofice were used before office became the widely accepted spelling in the 1700s. Originating from Old French ofice, the word initially meant “position” rather than “workplace.” Its Latin root, officium, had diverse meanings including “moral duty,” “official position,” “religious service,” “ceremony,” and “business.” The term officium is derived from the contraction of opificium, combining “work” (opus) and “do” (facere), highlighting the act of working.
The phrase box office emerged in 1786, referring to money kept in a box, while office hours was first documented in 1841.
