Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - office

 noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin officium service, duty, ~, from opus work + facere to make, do — more at operate, do  Date: 13th century  1.  a. a special duty, charge, or position conferred by an exercise of governmental authority and for a public purpose ; a position of authority to exercise a public function and to receive whatever emoluments may belong to it  b. a position of responsibility or some degree of executive authority  2. Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin officium, from Latin a prescribed form or service of worship; specifically capitalized Divine Office  3. a religious or social ceremonial observance ; rite  4.  a. something that one ought to do or must do ; an assigned or assumed duty, task, or role  b. the proper or customary action of something ; function  c. something done for another ; service  5. a place where a particular kind of business is transacted or a service is supplied: as  a. a place in which the functions of a public ~r are performed  b. the directing headquarters of an enterprise or organization  c. the place in which a professional person conducts business  6. plural, chiefly British the apartments, attached buildings, or outhouses in which the activities attached to the service of a house are carried on  7.  a. a major administrative unit in some governments British Foreign Office  b. a subdivision of some government departments Patent Office  Synonyms: see function