secretary
See also: Secretary
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
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”).
Pronunciation edit
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈsɛk.ɹə.tə.ɹi/, /ˈsɛk.ɹə.tɹi/
- (General American) enPR: sĕk'rətĕrē, IPA(key): /ˈsɛk.(ɹ)əˌtɛɹ.i/, [ˈsɛk.(ɹ)əˌtʰɛɹ.i]
Audio (US) (file)
Noun edit
secretary (plural secretaries)
- (obsolete) Someone entrusted with a secret; a confidant.
- (obsolete) Someone employed as a scribe for personal correspondence.
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Letters Restored”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 220:
- "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!"
- A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.
- I have a personal secretary to help me organize my clients.
- The secretary at the school is in charge of communication between parents, students, and staff.
- (often capitalized) The head of a department of government.
- 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.
- (US) A type of desk, secretary desk; a secretaire.
- A secretary bird, a bird of the species Sagittarius serpentarius.
Derived terms edit
Derived terms
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
- → Punjabi: ਸਕੱਤਰ (sakattar)
Translations edit
person keeping records and handling clerical work
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head of a department of government
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leading or managerial position in certain organizations
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type of desk
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sagittarius serpentarius
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Verb edit
secretary (third-person singular simple present secretaries, present participle secretarying, simple past and past participle secretaried)
- (transitive) To serve as a secretary of.
Quotations edit
- For quotations using this term, see Citations:secretary.
Further reading edit
- “secretary”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “secretary”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “secretary”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.