Etymograph

English

inofficious

Inofficious comes from Latin inofficiōsus ‘not obliging, disobliging’, from officium ‘duty’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-1‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opis1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEops1‘resources, wealth’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopifex2‘someone who does work’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopificium3‘work’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEofficium3‘duty’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEofficiōsus4‘dutiful, obliging, attentive’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinofficiōsus5‘not obliging, disobliging’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1604inofficious5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin opifex
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin opificium
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin officiosus
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Latin inofficiosus
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English inofficious
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1604, The Pegme at Fen-church: “Vp thou tame River, vvake; / And from the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ep-Wiktionary, Latin opifex‘to work, toil, make’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*opisWiktionary, Latin opifexreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopsWiktionary, Latin opifex‘resources, wealth’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopifexWiktionary, Latin opificium‘someone who does work’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEopificiumWiktionary, Latin officiosus‘work’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEofficiumWiktionary, Latin officiosus‘duty’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEofficiōsusWiktionary, Latin inofficiosus‘dutiful, obliging, attentive’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinofficiōsusWiktionary, English inofficious‘not obliging, disobliging’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1604inofficiousWiktionary, English inofficious. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1604, The Pegme at Fen-church: “Vp thou tame River, vvake; / And from the…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- ‘to work, toil, make’

operation, bus, operate, operator, opera, omnibus, opus, oeuvre, omnivore, 22 more

through Latin ops ‘resources, wealth’

copy, officer, optimum, opulent, opulence, copious, 9 more

through Latin officium ‘duty’

office, official, officiate, officiant, 2 more

Today it means

adj Indifferent to obligation or duty.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “inofficious”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin opifex, Latin opificium, Latin officiosus, Latin inofficiosus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- / inofficious

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