Meanings
secretary1
nounsecretary (plural secretaries)
plural secretaries · alternative obsolete secretarie
- A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.
I have a personal secretary to help me organize my clients.
2 more examples
The secretary at the school is in charge of communication between parents, students, and staff.
None of us can type, Minister. Mrs. McKay types (laugh track). She's the secretary (laugh track).
1980 February 25, Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn, “Open Government”, in Yes Minister, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) - capitalizedoftenThe head of a department of government.
Well briefly, sir, I am the Permanent Under Secretary of State, known as the Permanent Secretary.
1980 February 25, Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn, “Open Government”, in Yes Minister, season 1, episode 1, spoken by Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) - 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.
1 more example
As the Soviet Union collapsed, the party secretaries in the Central Asian republics found themselves leaders of newly-established sovereign countries.
- USA type of desk, secretary desk; a secretaire.
- A secretary bird, a bird of the species Sagittarius serpentarius.
- obsoleteSomeone 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!"
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
verbsecretary (third-person singular simple present secretaries, present participle secretarying, simple past and past participle secretaried)
present singular third person secretaries · participle present secretarying · participle past secretaried · past secretaried · alternative obsolete secretarie
- transitiveTo serve as a secretary of.
Secretary2
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nounan assistant who handles correspondence and clerical work for a boss or an organization
Similar
secretarial assistant
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
secretary · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*s(w)é
- Latinsē-
- Proto-Indo-European*krey-
- Proto-Italic*krinō
- Latincernō
- Latinsēcrētus
- Medieval Latinsecrētārius
- Englishsecretary
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”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Secretary · proper noun
Named by Lord Baltimore after his secretary.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γραμματεύς
- γραμματεύς (grammateús)person keeping records and handling clerical work
Arabic سِكْرِتِير, سِكْرِتِيرَة
- سِكْرِتِير (sekretēr)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- سِكْرِتِيرَة (sekretēra)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- كَاتِب (kātib)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- كَاتِبَة (kātiba)person keeping records and handling clerical work
Basque idazkari
- idazkariperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Bengali সম্পাদক
- সম্পাদক (śompadok)person keeping records and handling clerical work
Bulgarian секрета́р, секрета́рка
- секрета́р (sekretár)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- секрета́рка (sekretárka)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- мини́стър (minístăr)head of a department of government
- мини́стърка (minístărka)head of a department of government
- писа́лище (pisálište)type of desk
- секрета́р (sekretár)sagittarius serpentarius
Chinese Cantonese 秘書 /秘书, 書記 /书记
- 秘書 /秘书 (bei³ syu¹)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- 書記 /书记 (syu¹ gei³)person keeping records and handling clerical work
Chinese Mandarin 秘書 /秘书, 書記 /书记
- 秘書 /秘书 (mìshū)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- 書記 /书记 (shūjì)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- 大臣 (dàchén)head of a department of government
- 局長 /局长 (júzhǎng)head of a department of government
- 書記 /书记 (shūjì)leading or managerial position in certain organizations
Czech sekretář, sekretářka
- sekretářperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- sekretářkaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- ministrhead of a department of government
- tajemníkleading or managerial position in certain organizations
Danish sekretær, minister
- sekretærperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- ministerhead of a department of government
- sekretærleading or managerial position in certain organizations
- sekretærtype of desk
- sekretærfuglsagittarius serpentarius
Dutch secretaresse, secretaris
- secretaresseperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- secretarisperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Esperanto sekretario, ministro
- sekretarioperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- ministrohead of a department of government
- sekretariohead of a department of government
Estonian sekretär, asjaajaja
- sekretärperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- asjaajajaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- kirjatoimetajaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Finnish sihteeri, kirjuri
- sihteeriperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- kirjuriperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- ministerihead of a department of government
- sihteerileading or managerial position in certain organizations
- kirjoituspöytätype of desk
- sekretääritype of desk
- sihteerisagittarius serpentarius
French secrétaire, secrétaire
- secrétaireperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- secrétairehead of a department of government
- secrétairetype of desk
- messager serpentairesagittarius serpentarius
German Sekretär, Sekretärin
- Sekretärperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- Sekretärinperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- Staatssekretärhead of a department of government
- Sekretärleading or managerial position in certain organizations
- Schreibsekretärtype of desk
- Sekretärtype of desk
- Sekretärsagittarius serpentarius
Greek γραμματέας, υπουργός
- γραμματέας (grammatéas)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- υπουργός (ypourgós)head of a department of government
- γραμματέας (grammatéas)leading or managerial position in certain organizations
Hebrew מַזְכִּיר, מַזְכִּירָה
- מַזְכִּיר (mazkír)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- מַזְכִּירָה (mazkira)person keeping records and handling clerical work
Hindi सचिव, मुंशी
- सचिव (saciv)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- मुंशी (muñśī)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- सचिव (saciv)head of a department of government
- सचिव (saciv)leading or managerial position in certain organizations
Hungarian titkár, titkárnő
- titkárperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- titkárnőperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- adminisztrátorperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- miniszterhead of a department of government
- államtitkárhead of a department of government
- főtitkárleading or managerial position in certain organizations
- szekretertype of desk
- kígyászkeselyűsagittarius serpentarius
Icelandic ritari
- ritariperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Indonesian sekretaris, katib
- sekretarisperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- katibperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- menterihead of a department of government
- sekretarisleading or managerial position in certain organizations
Irish rúnaí, rúnaí
- rúnaíperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- rúnaíhead of a department of government
- rúnaíleading or managerial position in certain organizations
- rúnaísagittarius serpentarius
Italian segretario, segretaria
- segretarioperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- segretariaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- ministrohead of a department of government
- segretarioleading or managerial position in certain organizations
- scrittoiotype of desk
- segretariosagittarius serpentarius
- serpentariosagittarius serpentarius
Japanese 秘書, 書記
- 秘書 (hisho)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- 書記 (shoki)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- 大臣 (daijin)head of a department of government
- 長官 (chōkan)head of a department of government
Korean 비서, 서기
- 비서 (biseo)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- 서기 (seogi)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- 대신 (daesin)head of a department of government
- 장관 (janggwan)head of a department of government
Latin scrība, librarius
- scrībaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- librariusperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- librariolusperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- sēcrētāriusperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Latvian sekretārs, sekretāre
- sekretārsperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- sekretāreperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Lithuanian sekretorius, sekretorė
- sekretoriusperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- sekretorėperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Malay setiausaha, sekretaris
- setiausahaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- sekretarisperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- katibperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- setiausahahead of a department of government
- sekretarishead of a department of government
- setiausahaleading or managerial position in certain organizations
- sekretarisleading or managerial position in certain organizations
Norwegian Bokmål sekretær
- sekretærperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Polish sekretarz, sekretarka
- sekretarzperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- sekretarkaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Portuguese secretário, secretária
- secretárioperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- secretáriaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- secretáriohead of a department of government
- secretáriahead of a department of government
- escrivaninhatype of desk
- secretáriatype of desk
- (portugal) secretáriatype of desk
Romanian secretar, secretară
- secretarperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- secretarăperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- secretarhead of a department of government
- secretarăhead of a department of government
- secretartype of desk
- pasăre secretarsagittarius serpentarius
Russian секрета́рь, секрета́рша
- секрета́рь (sekretárʹ)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- секрета́рша (sekretárša)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- мини́стр (minístr)head of a department of government
- секрета́рь (sekretárʹ)head of a department of government
- секрете́р (sekretɛ́r)type of desk
- пти́ца-секрета́рь (ptíca-sekretárʹ)sagittarius serpentarius
Scottish Gaelic rùnaire, clèireach
- rùnaireperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- clèireachperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- rùnairehead of a department of government
- rùnaireleading or managerial position in certain organizations
Slovak sekretár, sekretárka
- sekretárperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- sekretárkaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Spanish secretario, secretaria
- secretarioperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- secretariaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- secretariohead of a department of government
- escribaníatype of desk
- serpentariosagittarius serpentarius
Swahili karani
- karaniperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Swedish sekreterare, minister
- sekreterareperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- ministerhead of a department of government
- sekretärtype of desk
Tagalog sekretarya, kalihim
- sekretaryaperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- kalihimperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- kalihimhead of a department of government
Thai เลขานุการ, รัฐมนตรี
- เลขานุการ (lee-kǎa-nú-gaan)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- รัฐมนตรี (rát-tà-mon-dtrii)head of a department of government
- เลขาธิการ (lee-kǎa-tí-gaan)leading or managerial position in certain organizations
Turkish sekreter, katip
- sekreterperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- katipperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Ukrainian секрета́р, секрета́рка
- секрета́р (sekretár)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- секрета́рка (sekretárka)person keeping records and handling clerical work
Urdu سِکْریٹْری, کاتِب
- سِکْریٹْری (sikreṭrī)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- کاتِب (kātib)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- مُنْشی (munśī)person keeping records and handling clerical work
Vietnamese thư ký, thư kí
- thư kýperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- thư kíperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- bí thưperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- bộ trưởnghead of a department of government
Welsh ysgrifennydd, ysgrifenyddes
- ysgrifennyddperson keeping records and handling clerical work
- ysgrifenyddesperson keeping records and handling clerical work
Yiddish סעקרעטאַר, סעקרעטאַרשע
- סעקרעטאַר (sekretar)person keeping records and handling clerical work
- סעקרעטאַרשע (sekretarshe)person keeping records and handling clerical work
Cite this entry
APA
secretary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/secretary
MLA
“secretary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/secretary. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “secretary,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/secretary.
Source: secretary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.