Officious means fussily using small authority to interfere. An officious clerk, officious and rude, officious interference.
It is a different word from official and means almost the opposite of helpful, though the Latin behind it meant kindly and dutiful. The change of sense is a comment on what small offices do to people.
1adjectiveofficiousFussily using small authority to interfere.
“An officious guard refused to let us in because our tickets were printed in black and white.”
officious is a quality.
Latin officiosus meant dutiful or kindly, from officium, a service or duty.
Proto-Indo-European
*h₃ep-
Latin
officiōsus — kindly
Middle English
offycyous
English, today
officious
Built from
15th century, from Middle English offycyous, from Latin officiōsus (“kindly”), from officium (“service”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA