What does Secretary mean?

Definitions for Secretary
ˈsɛk rɪˌtɛr isec·re·ta·ry

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word Secretary.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. secretarynoun

    a person who is head of an administrative department of government

  2. secretary, secretarial assistantnoun

    an assistant who handles correspondence and clerical work for a boss or an organization

  3. repository, secretarynoun

    a person to whom a secret is entrusted

  4. secretary, writing table, escritoire, secretairenoun

    a desk used for writing

Wiktionary

  1. secretarynoun

    Someone entrusted with a secret; a confidant.

  2. secretarynoun

    A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.

  3. secretarynoun

    The head of a department of government.

  4. secretarynoun

    A managerial or leading position in certain non-profit organizations, such as political parties, trade unions, international organizations.

    Ban Ki-Moon is the current secretary general of the United Nations.

  5. secretarynoun

    A type of desk; a secretaire.

  6. secretarynoun

    A species of bird; Sagittarius serpentarius.

  7. secretaryverb

    To serve as a secretary of.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Secretarynoun

    One entrusted with the management of business; one who writes for another.

    Etymology: secretaire, Fr. secretarius, low Latin.

    Call Gardiner to me, my new secretary. William Shakespeare.

    That which is most of all profitable is acquaintance with the secretaries, and employed men of ambassadors. Francis Bacon.

    Cottington was secretary to the prince. Edward Hyde.

Wikipedia

  1. Secretary

    A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a white-collar worker person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication, or organizational skills within the area of administration. There is a diverse array of work experiences attainable within the administrative support field, ranging between internship, entry-level, associate, junior, mid-senior, and senior level pay bands with positions in nearly every industry. However, this role should not be confused with the role of an executive secretary, cabinet secretary such as cabinet members who hold the title of "secretary," or company secretary, all which differ from an administrative assistant. The functions of a personal assistant may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit of more than one. In other situations, a secretary is an officer of a society or organization who deals with correspondence, admits new members, and organizes official meetings and events. Some high-level secretaries, administrative assistants, or executive assistants in the associate, junior, mid-senior, and senior level pay bands or those in an entry-level position that requires specialized knowledge acquired through a bachelor's degree or even a master's degree in a field pertinent to the organization's industry are specialized secretaries who generally assist senior executives and/or actively participate in the work of the organization such has having a hands-on involvement on the production of deliverables. Some non-secretarial positions such as legislative assistants, paralegals, judicial law clerks, clerks of the court, medical assistants, and medical scribes that require bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees to practice, have at times taken up duties identical to that of specialized secretaries and vice versa where specialized secretaries have taken up the tedious and repetitive research and recordkeeping tasks of persons they assist.

ChatGPT

  1. secretary

    A secretary is a person employed by an individual or in an office to assist with correspondence, keep records, make appointments, and carry out similar administrative tasks. They often serve as a primary point of contact for the individual or organization they work for, managing schedules and communications. They can also perform other duties depending on the nature of their employment, including transcription, note taking, data entry, and office management.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Secretarynoun

    one who keeps, or is intrusted with, secrets

  2. Secretarynoun

    a person employed to write orders, letters, dispatches, public or private papers, records, and the like; an official scribe, amanuensis, or writer; one who attends to correspondence, and transacts other business, for an association, a public body, or an individual

  3. Secretarynoun

    an officer of state whose business is to superintend and manage the affairs of a particular department of government, and who is usually a member of the cabinet or advisory council of the chief executive; as, the secretary of state, who conducts the correspondence and attends to the relations of a government with foreign courts; the secretary of the treasury, who manages the department of finance; the secretary of war, etc

  4. Secretarynoun

    a piece of furniture, with conveniences for writing and for the arrangement of papers; an escritoire

  5. Secretarynoun

    the secretary bird

Wikidata

  1. Secretary

    A secretary, personal assistant, or administrative assistant is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication, or organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit of more than one. In other situations a secretary is an officer of a society or organization who deals with correspondence, admits new members, and organizes official meetings and events. A secretary has many administrative duties. Traditionally, these duties were mostly related to correspondence, such as the typing out of letters, maintaining files of paper documents, etc. The advent of word processing has significantly reduced the time that such duties require, with the result that many new tasks have come under the purview of the secretary. These might include managing budgets and doing bookkeeping, maintaining websites, and making travel arrangements. Secretaries might manage all the administrative details of running a high-level conference or arrange the catering for a typical lunch meeting. Often executives will ask their assistant to take the minutes at meetings and prepare meeting documents for review.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Secretary

    sek′rē-tā-ri, n. one employed to write for another: a public officer entrusted with the affairs of a department of government, or of a company, &c.: a piece of furniture for writing, with drawers, pigeon-holes, &c. (also Secretaire′).—adj. Secretā′rial, pertaining to a secretary or his duties.—ns. Secretā′riate, the official position of secretary; Sec′retary-bird a raptorial serpent-eating bird resembling the crane, found in South Africa and the East—from the tufts of feathers at the back of its head like pens stuck behind the ear; Sec′retaryship.

Editors Contribution

  1. secretary

    A person with a defined, specific and accurate role, responsibilities, job description, employment contract and terms and agreement of employment.

    The intergovernmental secretary is an important role.


    Submitted by MaryC on August 14, 2020  

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Secretary' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #622

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Secretary' in Written Corpus Frequency: #839

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'Secretary' in Nouns Frequency: #238

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce Secretary?

How to say Secretary in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of Secretary in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of Secretary in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of Secretary in a Sentence

  1. Jayne Huckerby:

    When you look at what Secretary Pompeo and commission members are concerned with.

  2. Ned Price:

    I ’m just not going to offer any additional detail, just as the president was, [ Blinken ] was surprised to learn that there were any government records taken to that location. Had no knowledge of it at the time. But I ’m just not going to offer any additional detail. ROBERT K. HUR, President Biden SPECIAL COUNSEL, OVERSAW INDICTMENTS OF TOP BALTIMORE OFFICIALS White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Thursday also shut down several questions from the press about the classified documents and repeated that President Biden is taking this.

  3. Jeb Bush:

    Where was Secretary of State Clinton in all of this? Like the president himself, she had opposed the surge, then joined in claiming credit for its success, then stood by as that hard-won victory by American and allied forces was thrown away.

  4. Hillary Clinton:

    Both as secretary of state and as a private citizen, I have answered every question, I've ever been asked. I've testified for eleven hours. I've, you know, been involved in anything that was asked of me to try to answer any kind of issues. I think that's the way the system is supposed to work.

  5. Stacey Abrams:

    Make no mistake, the former secretary of state was deliberate and intentional in his actions, i know that eight years of systemic disenfranchisement, disinvestment and incompetence had its desired affect on the electoral process in Georgia.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

Secretary#1#1787#10000

Translations for Secretary

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"Secretary." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 21 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/Secretary>.

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    a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause)
    A muddle
    B elation
    C elan
    D wavering

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