secretary

secretary
\ \ [14] A secretary was originally a ‘person in someone else’s confidence, sharing secret or private matters with them’ (‘[Christ] taking with him his three special secretaries, that is to say Peter and James and John’, Nicholas Love, Mirror of the life of Jesus Christ 1400).
\ \ The word was adapted from late Latin sēcrētārius ‘confidential aide’, a derivative of Latin sēcrētus ‘secret’. The notion of writing letters and performing other clerical duties developed in the Latin word, and first emerged in English in the 15th century.
\ \ Cf.⇒ SECRET

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • secretary — sec‧re‧ta‧ry [ˈsekrtri ǁ teri] noun secretaries PLURALFORM [countable] JOBS 1. someone who works in an office helping to organize the work, answering the telephone, arranging meetings etc: • His personal secretary (= one working for only him )… …   Financial and business terms

  • Secretary — Título La secretaria Ficha técnica Dirección Steven Shainberg Producción Andrew Fierberg Amy Hobby Steven Shainberg …   Wikipedia Español

  • Secretary — Sec re*ta*ry, n.; pl. {Secretaries}. [F. secr[ e]taire (cf. Pr. secretari, Sp. & Pg. secretario, It. secretario, segretario) LL. secretarius, originally, a confidant, one intrusted with secrets, from L. secretum a secret. See {Secret}, a. & n.] 1 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • secretary — sec·re·tary n pl tar·ies often cap 1: an officer of a business concern who may keep records of directors and stockholders meetings and of stock ownership and transfer and help supervise the company s interests 2: a government officer who… …   Law dictionary

  • Secretary —   [ sekrətri] der, /...ries, in England im 16. Jahrhundert Bezeichnung des leitenden Ministers, später allgemein Minister Titel. Die wichtigsten Kabinettsmitglieder heißen Secretary of State. In den USA ist »Secretary of State« nur für den… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Secretary — Secretary, MD U.S. town in Maryland Population (2000): 503 Housing Units (2000): 218 Land area (2000): 0.258731 sq. miles (0.670109 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.258731 sq. miles (0.670109 sq …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Secretary, MD — U.S. town in Maryland Population (2000): 503 Housing Units (2000): 218 Land area (2000): 0.258731 sq. miles (0.670109 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.258731 sq. miles (0.670109 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • secretary — [n1] office worker assistant, clerk, executive secretary, receptionist, typist, word processor; concept 348 secretary [n2] desk bureau, davenport, escritoire, secretaire, writing desk, writing table; concept 443 …   New thesaurus

  • secretary — (n.) late 14c., person entrusted with secrets, from M.L. secretarius clerk, notary, confidential officer, confidant, from L. secretum a secret (see SECRET (Cf. secret)). Meaning person who keeps records, write letters, etc., originally for a king …   Etymology dictionary

  • secretary — should be pronounced as four syllables with the first r fully articulated, not as if it were spelt seketerry or sekretry …   Modern English usage

  • secretary — ► NOUN (pl. secretaries) 1) a person employed to assist with correspondence, keep records, etc. 2) an official of a society or other organization who conducts its correspondence and keeps its records. 3) the principal assistant of a UK government …   English terms dictionary

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