n.
(pl. secretaries)
- a person employed to assist with correspondence, keep records, etc.
- an official of a society or other organization who conducts its correspondence and keeps its records.
- the principal assistant of a UK government minister or ambassador.
Derivative
- secretarial adj.
- secretaryship n.
Etymology
ME (orig. in the sense ‘person entrusted with a secret’): from late L. secretarius ‘confidential officer’, from L. secretum ‘a secret’, neut. of secretus (see secret).
