secretary
/ˈsɛkrɪt(ə)ri
/noun (plural secretaries)
1A person employed by an individual or in an office to assist with correspondence, make appointments, and carry out administrative tasks: she was secretary to David Wilby MP...
- If necessary, counsel may contact my secretary to arrange an appointment to speak to the issue of costs on this motion.
- One guy a few years back asked me whether he should call back and make an appointment with my secretary to talk to me.
- There is a story doing the rounds about a city lawyer who asked an office secretary to pay £4 towards his dry cleaning bill.
Synonyms
assistant, personal assistant, PA, administrator, clerk, clerical assistant, amanuensis, girl/man Friday;
typist, shorthand typist, copyist, keyboarder, stenographer
1.1An official of a society or other organization who conducts its correspondence and keeps its records: she was secretary of the Women’s Labour League...
- The tuning of the City Hall organ is ongoing, and every night, the secretary of the Organ Society, David Smit, spends several hours tuning the instrument.
- This is borne out by a letter of April 11, from the solicitors to the area secretary of the Law society.
- It was provided to the Foreign Office by the secretary to the World Jewish Council, who in turn had received it from a source in Berlin.
1.2The principal assistant of a UK government minister or ambassador: [as title]: Chief Secretary to the Treasury
1.3An official in charge of a US government department.And Dr. Sue Bailey is a former assistant defense secretary for health affairs....
- Perle is a commentator on defense issues and a former US assistant secretary of defense.
- In 1996, he became the sixth deputy assistant secretary of defense for Policy and Missions.
Derivatives
secretaryship
- Mrs Taylor's business interests last year included seven company secretaryships and two directorships.
- He replaces Peter Hain, who now combines the Welsh and Northern Ireland secretaryships.
- As I had done a course in company secretaryship, I decided to take up the project.
Origin
Late Middle English (originally in the sense 'person entrusted with a secret'): from late Latin secretarius 'confidential officer', from Latin secretum 'secret', neuter of secretus (see secret).