officiate

American  

[uh-fish-ee-eyt] / əˈfɪʃ iˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

officiated, officiating

1. to perform the office of a member of the clergy, as at a divine service.

2. to perform the duties or function of some office or position.

3. to serve as referee, umpire, or other official in a sports contest or game.

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verb (used with object)

officiated, officiating

1. to serve as the priest or minister of (a divine service, religious ceremony, etc.).

2. to perform, carry out, or fulfill (an official duty or function).

3. to act as a referee, umpire, timekeeper, or other official for (a sports contest or game).

officiate British  

/ əˈfɪʃɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. to hold the position, responsibility, or function of an official

2. to conduct a religious or other ceremony

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Other Word Forms

• officiation
  noun
• officiator
  noun
• unofficiated
  adjective
• unofficiating
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of officiate

First recorded in 1625–35; from Medieval Latin officiātus (past participle of officiāre “to serve”), equivalent to Latin offici(um) “service, duty” + -ātus, past participle suffix; see office, -ate ¹

Explanation

To officiate is to preside over a ceremony, or to be the person in charge. At most weddings, a religious leader or judge officiates. A rabbi might officiate during your cousin's wedding, or the happy couple might ask a friend to officiate. When an official acts in some official way, they also officiate. A referee, for example, officiates at a hockey game, and a town's mayor might officiate at the grand opening of a new library. Officiate, as of the seventeenth century, mainly meant "perform the duty of a priest," from the Latin root officium, "kindness," or "official duty," and also "church service."

Related Words

• preside