sec ‧ re ‧ ta ‧ ry S2 W1 /ˈsekrət ə ri, ˈsekrɪt ə ri $ -teri-/ BrE AmE noun ( plural secretaries ) [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: secretarius 'someone who does private work for another, secretary' , from Latin secretus ; ⇨ ↑ secret 1 ]
1 . someone who works in an office ↑ typing letters, keeping records, answering telephone calls, arranging meetings etc:
My secretary will fax you all the details.
medical/legal secretary
2 .
a) ( also Secretary of State ) the head of an important department in the British government:
the Foreign Secretary
⇨ ↑ Home Secretary
b) an official in charge of a large government department in the US:
the Secretary of Defense
c) a British official who works in a government department or ↑ embassy and is below the rank of ↑ minister or ↑ ambassador :
the First Secretary at the British Embassy
⇨ ↑ Secretary of State , ↑ undersecretary
3 . a member of a club or organization who takes notes in meetings, writes official letters etc:
the secretary of the tennis club