officialese en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ə.fɪ.ʃəˈliːz/ (UK)
Etymology
Etymology tree English official Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-iskbor. Late Latin -iscus ▲ Vulgar Latin -iscus Latin -ēnsis Old French -eisbor. Middle English -eys English -ese English officialese From official + -ese.
Meanings
-
(countable, uncountable) The typical language of officials or official documents; legalistic and pompous language.
These were men, the chronicler continued, who ‘spoke pleasantly’, in the smooth officialese that most of Henry's counsellors were accustomed to deploy […]
2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 263:But while using officialese might give your writing the outward appearance of being thorough and correct, that doesn't mean there's anything happening underneath. Officialese is a kind of defense mechanism. It's rooted in the fear of getting something wrong, or leaving something out, or looking stupid.
2021, Tom Albrighton, How to Write Clearly […] , ABC Business Communications Ltd, →ISBN, page 144:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| officialeses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |