secretary
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secretary¹
- /ˈsɛk.ɹə.tə.ɹi/ UK
- /ˈsɛk.ɹə.tɹi/ UK
- /ˈsɛk.(ɹ)əˌtɛɹ.i/ US
- [ˈsɛk.(ɹ)əˌtʰɛɹ.i] US
Where it comes from
From Medieval Latin secrētārius (“one entrusted with secrets”), from Latin secrētus (“private, secret”), past participle of secernere (“to separate, set apart”), from se- (“apart”) + cernere (“to separate”).
noun secretaries · secretarie
- A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work. I have a personal secretary to help me organize my clients.
- The head of a department of government. Well briefly, sir, I am the Permanent Under Secretary of State, known as the Permanent Secretary.
- A managerial or leading position in certain non-profit organizations, such as political parties, trade unions, international organizations. Ban Ki-Moon was a secretary general of the United Nations.
- A type of desk, secretary desk; a secretaire.
- A secretary bird, a bird of the species Sagittarius serpentarius.
- Someone entrusted with a secret; a confidant.
- Someone employed as a scribe for personal correspondence. "Do not give yourself any uneasiness about one so utterly unworthy of a thought! Sir George Kingston is without one grain of either honour or real feeling! The fact is, I have, for some months past, been his secretary, and wrote for him the letters which were sent you!"
Similar: administrator, assistant, administrative assistant, amanuensis, clerk, scribe, scrivener, seneschal
verb secretaries · secretarying · secretaried · secretarie
- To serve as a secretary of.
Secretary²
Where it comes from
Named by Lord Baltimore after his secretary.
proper noun
- A town in Maryland.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: secretaire, repository, escritoire, secretarial assistant, writing table, secretariat, directorate, bureau, commissioner, director-general, secretary-general, registrar, treasurership, undersecretary, assistant, attaché
noun
Similar: administrator, assistant, administrative assistant, amanuensis, clerk, scribe, scrivener, seneschal
Translations
Every language
noun person keeping records and handling clerical work
| Español | secretario, secretaria |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 비서 biseo, 서기 seogi |
| 日本語 | 秘書 hisho, 書記 shoki |
| 中文 | 秘書 /秘书 mìshū, 書記 /书记 shūjì |
| हिन्दी | सचिव saciv, मुंशी muñśī |
| Kiswahili | karani |
| Português | secretário, secretária |
| Français | secrétaire |
| Deutsch | Sekretär, Sekretärin |
| Italiano | segretario, segretaria |
| Ελληνικά | γραμματέας grammatéas |
| Română | secretar, secretară |
| Русский | секрета́рь sekretárʹ, секрета́рша sekretárša |
| Tiếng Việt | thư ký, thư kí, bí thư |
| العربية | سِكْرِتِير sekretēr, سِكْرِتِيرَة sekretēra, كَاتِب kātib, كَاتِبَة kātiba |
| עברית | מַזְכִּיר mazkír, מַזְכִּירָה mazkira |
noun head of a department of government
| Español | secretario |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 대신 daesin, 장관 janggwan |
| 日本語 | 大臣 daijin, 長官 chōkan |
| 中文 | 大臣 dàchén |
| हिन्दी | सचिव saciv |
| Português | secretário, secretária |
| Français | secrétaire |
| Deutsch | Staatssekretär |
| Italiano | ministro |
| Ελληνικά | υπουργός ypourgós |
| Română | secretar, secretară |
| Русский | мини́стр minístr, секрета́рь sekretárʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | bộ trưởng |
noun leading or managerial position in certain organizations
| 中文 | 書記 /书记 shūjì |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | सचिव saciv |
| Deutsch | Sekretär |
| Italiano | segretario |
| Ελληνικά | γραμματέας grammatéas |
noun type of desk
| Español | escribanía |
|---|---|
| Português | escrivaninha, secretária, (portugal) secretária |
| Français | secrétaire |
| Deutsch | Schreibsekretär, Sekretär |
| Italiano | scrittoio |
| Română | secretar |
| Русский | секрете́р sekretɛ́r |
noun sagittarius serpentarius
| Español | serpentario |
|---|---|
| Français | messager serpentaire |
| Deutsch | Sekretär |
| Italiano | segretario, serpentario |
| Română | pasăre secretar |
| Русский | пти́ца-секрета́рь ptíca-sekretárʹ |
Talk about this word "secretary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/secretary. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. secretary. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/secretary "secretary." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/secretary.Cite this
@misc{secretary_2026,
title = {secretary},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/secretary},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
