Official
Also a "public official". An
official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority. A
government official or
functionary is an official who is involved in public administration or government, through either election, appointment, selection, or employment. A bureaucrat or civil servant is a member of the bureaucracy. An
elected official is a person who is an official by virtue of an election. Officials may also be appointed
ex officio. Some official positions may be inherited. A person who currently holds an office is referred to as an
incumbent. The word
official as a noun has been recorded since the Middle English period, first seen in 1314. It comes from the Old French
official, from the Latin
officialis, the noun use of the original adjective
officialis from
officium. The meaning "person in charge of some public work or duty" was first recorded in 1555. The adjective is first attested in English in 1533, via the Old French
oficial. The informal term
officialese, the jargon of "officialdom", was first recorded in 1884.