(a) A secular position of authority or responsibility; an official post in government or administration; a position of importance in a great household; boke of offices, Cicero's De Officiis; maister of the ~, the late Roman palatine administrator known as the magister officiorum; (b) an ecclesiastical position; the office of priest; an administrative position in a religious community.

(a) Official employment in general; the authority associated with a secular or ecclesiastical position; ben in ~ with, to be employed in an official capacity under (sb.); bi ~, ?officially; in ~ mid, in official employment under (sb.); of ~, on account of one's position, by virtue of one's authority; stonden in ~, hold sway; (b) one's station in life; an estate in society; (c) menial employment, domestic service; bi ~, on account of one's job; fallen in ~ with, to go to work under (sb.); putten in ~ (offices), set (sb.) to work; (d) the employ or service (of sb., the Church); (e) ?an insignia or a symbol of office.

(a) The duty or duties pertaining to a profession, position, angelic rank, etc.; the required duty (of sb.); an appointed, assigned, or required task or duty; the expected function (of sb., a dog); boke of offices, one of the parts of St. Ambrose's 'De officiis ministrorum'; godes ~, the prerogatives of God; (b) don ~, to perform (one's) duty; perform an appointed task; ~ doinge, the performance of (one's) duties; (c) a piece of work, job, task; ~ of armes, the military profession; (d) the performance of the duties attached to a position; (e) the behavior associated with a station in life.

(a) The proper function of something, esp. of a part of the body; the purpose of something; stonden in ~, ?to possess a function; (b) the proper operation or functioning of a part of the body, an organ of sense, or a virtue; (c) physiol. a service performed for the body by a member or for one of the principal members by another member; lim of ~, membre of ~ [see also membre 2. (a)]; (d) the faculty of speech, walking; the process of writing; the use of a writing implement; (e) the performance of the sexual function of a woman; (f) urination; (g) ~ of lif, the state of being alive, life.

(a) An ecclesiastical service or mass, esp. for the dead; also, a pagan religious service or ceremony; ~ of the messe, the mass; don ~, to perform (one's) divine service; don the ~, celebrate mass; werken ~, celebrate a mass for the dead; (b) the introit of the mass; ~ of (the) messe; (c) ~ of preiinge, the regular performance of prayer; (d) holi ~, the performance of religious ceremonies; (e) a book containing a particular version of a rite.

(a) A place for conducting business, an office; (b) hous of ~, a room, apartment, or outbuilding devoted to domestic work or household storage; houses of ~ (offices); ~ hous, an outbuilding devoted to domestic work; (c) pl. outbuildings; (d) a domestic department in a great household; (e) an official; also coll. officials; (f) a government or civic department.

A legal inquiry into the title to property, an inquest of office; also, legal procedure [quot.: c1450]; enqueste of ~ [see enqueste 2. (c)]; finden ~ [see finden 20. (b)]; taken ~, to return a verdict in an inquest of office.

A service done toward someone.