secretary
Plural: secretaries
Noun
- a person who is head of an administrative department of government
- an assistant who handles correspondence and clerical work for a boss or an organization
- a person to whom a secret is entrusted
- a desk used for writing
- A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.
- 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.
- 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.
Verb
- To serve as a secretary of.
Examples
- Ban Ki-Moon was a secretary general of the United Nations.
- 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.
Origin / Etymology
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”).
Synonyms
escritoire, repository, secretaire, secretarial assistant, writing table, administrative assistant, administrator, amanuensis, assistant, clerk, scribe, scrivener, seneschal
Scrabble Score: 14
secretary: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordsecretary: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
secretary: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary