English
oficina
Oficina comes from Spanish oficina ‘office’, from Latin officīna ‘workshop’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEops
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEopifex‘someone who does work’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEofficīna‘workshop’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentoficina‘office’
- Englishearliest quotation 1890same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opisreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEops
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEopifex‘someone who does work’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEofficīna‘workshop’
- Spanishc. 1500–presentoficina‘office’
- Englishearliest quotation 1890same form
Earliest quotation: 1890, William Howard Russell, Iquique to the Pampas: “The external aspect of the oficina was not unlike…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’
operation, bus, operate, operator, opera, opus, omnibus, oeuvre, omnivore, 21 more
through Latin ops
copy, officer, official, optimum, copious, opulent, opulence, officiate, officiant, officious, 8 more
through Latin opifex ‘someone who does work’
Today it means
noun A nitrate-producing factory in a Spanish-speaking country.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- / oficina