secretary

[ sek-ri-ter-ee ]

/ ˈsɛk rɪˌtɛr i /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR secretary ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural sec·re·tar·ies.

a person, usually an official, who is in charge of the records, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and related affairs of an organization, company, association, etc.: the secretary of the Linguistic Society of America.

a person employed to handle correspondence and do routine work in a business office, usually involving taking dictation, typing, filing, and the like.

private secretary.

(often initial capital letter) an officer of state charged with the superintendence and management of a particular department of government, as a member of the president's cabinet in the U.S.: Secretary of the Treasury.

Also called diplomatic secretary. a diplomatic official of an embassy or legation who ranks below a counselor and is usually assigned as first secretary, second secretary, or third secretary.

a piece of furniture for use as a writing desk.

Also called secretary bookcase. a desk with bookshelves on top of it.

Origin of secretary

1350–1400; Middle English secretarie one trusted with private or secret matters; confidant < Medieval Latin sēcrētārius < Latin sēcrēt(um) secret (noun) + -ārius -ary

OTHER WORDS FROM secretary

sec·re·tar·y·ship, noun sub·sec·re·tar·y, noun, plural sub·sec·re·tar·ies. sub·sec·re·tar·y·ship, noun un·der·sec·re·tar·y·ship, noun

Words nearby secretary

secretagog, secretagogue, secretaire, secretarial, secretariat, secretary, secretary bird, secretary of defense, secretary of state, secretary-general, secrete

Example sentences from the Web for secretary

And compare, as noted up top, to Secretary Clinton, who spent years quietly pushing a modernized Cuba policy.

Rubio’s Embargo Anger Plays to the Past |Michael Tomasky |December 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Even Defense Secretary Gates, at least for a time, was open to the notion.

The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See |Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak |December 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
In order to withhold the photographs, the secretary of defense must certify that photographs could cause harm to Americans.

The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See |Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak |December 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
ALEC echoed the ideology of Charles Wilson, the first Defense Secretary in the Eisenhower administration.

The Left’s Answer to ALEC |Ben Jacobs |December 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

But the president and secretary need to be very careful here.

The Inside Story of U.S. Meddling in Israel’s Elections |Aaron David Miller |December 4, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
If not in the Government plan the secretary would under-take to make such a map.

Northern Nut Growers Association, Report of the Proceedings at the Fourth Annual Meeting |Various
In that way he could edit the letters before his secretary saw them.

Tales Of Men And Ghosts |Edith Wharton
Therewith he fled, and the secretary suddenly found himself confronting a new idea.

The Herapath Property |J. S. Fletcher
I beg leave particularly to call your attention to the accompanying report from the Secretary of War.

A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents: Tyler |Compiled by James D. Richardson
With the congressman's secretary and the teacher Carol leased a small flat.

Main Street |Sinclair Lewis

British Dictionary definitions for secretary

secretary

/ (ˈsɛkrətrɪ, -ərɪ) /

noun plural -taries

a person who handles correspondence, keeps records, and does general clerical work for an individual, organization, etc

the official manager of the day-to-day business of a society or board

(in Britain) a senior civil servant who assists a government minister

(in the US and New Zealand) the head of a government administrative department

(in Britain) See secretary of state (def. 1)

(in Australia) the head of a public service department

diplomacy the assistant to an ambassador or diplomatic minister of certain countries

another name for secretaire

Derived forms of secretary

secretarial (ˌsɛkrɪˈtɛərɪəl), adjective secretaryship, noun

Word Origin for secretary

C14: from Medieval Latin sēcrētārius, from Latin sēcrētum something hidden; see secret

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

secretary

noun, plural sec·re·tar·ies.

Origin of secretary

OTHER WORDS FROM secretary

Words nearby secretary

Example sentences from the Web for secretary

British Dictionary definitions for secretary

noun plural -taries

Derived forms of secretary

Word Origin for secretary

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

secretary

noun, plural sec·re·tar·ies.

Origin of secretary

OTHER WORDS FROM secretary

Words nearby secretary

Words related to secretary

Example sentences from the Web for secretary

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for secretary

noun plural -taries

Derived forms of secretary

Word Origin for secretary

British Dictionary definitions for secretary