Hypertext Webster Gateway: "officious"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Officious \Of*fi"cious\, a. [L. officiosus: cf.F. officieux. See
{Office}.]
1. Pertaining to, or being in accordance with, duty. [R.]

If there were any lie in the case, it could be no
more than as officious and venial one. --Note on
Gen. xxvii.
(Douay
version).

2. Disposed to serve; kind; obliging. [Archaic]

Yet not to earth are those bright luminaries
Officious. --Milton.

They were tolerably well bred, very officious,
humane, and hospitable. --Burke.

3. Importunately interposing services; intermeddling in
affairs in which one has no concern; meddlesome.

You are too officious In her behalf that scorns your
services. --Shak.

Syn: Impertinent; meddling. See {Impertinent}. --
{Of*fi"cious*ly}, adv. -- {Of*fi"cious*ness}, n.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

officious
adj : intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner; "an interfering
old woman"; "bustling about self-importantly making an
officious nuisance of himself"; "busy about other
people's business" [syn: {interfering}, {meddlesome}, {meddling},
{busy}, {busybodied}]


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