Beginning; starting point.
"The race begins off at the far end of the field, where all runners must gather before the signal is given."
"The coffee tastes just off, so I'll have to throw it out."
Inoperative, disabled.
"The emergency brake was off after it broke during the inspection."
from a particular thing or place or position (`forth' is obsolete)
"ran away from the lion"
"wanted to get away from there"
"sent the children away to boarding school"
"the teacher waved the children away from the dead animal"
"went off to school"
"they drove off"
"go forth and preach"
In a direction away from the speaker or object.
"Please stand off to the side so I can work on this section without blocking your view."
In plain English: Off means not on, turned off, or away from something you are touching.
"The train is off to London early today."
Not positioned upon; away from a position upon.
"The cat jumped off the fence and landed safely on the grass below."
The word "off" comes directly from Old English and originally meant "from," "away," or "off." It traveled into modern usage as a variant form that shares the same root but developed slightly different applications over time.