secretary

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛk.(ɹ)əˌtɛɹ.i/

Reading level: medium

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a person who is head of an administrative department of government
  2. noun an assistant who handles correspondence and clerical work for a boss or an organization
  3. noun a person to whom a secret is entrusted

Etymology

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”).

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
head
Narrower (hyponyms)
attorney general, secretary of the treasury, secretary of education, secretary of health and human services, secretary of labor, secretary of agriculture

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