Dictionary
sec•re•tar•y
Pronunciation: (sek'ri-ter"ē), [key]—
n.,
—pl. -tar•ies.
1. a person, usually an official, who is in charge of the records, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and related affairs of an organization, company, association, etc.:
the secretary of the Linguistic Society of America.
2. a person employed to handle correspondence and do routine work in a business office, usually involving taking dictation, typing, filing, and the like.
3. See
private secretary.
4. (often cap.) an officer of state charged with the superintendence and management of a particular department of government, as a member of the president's cabinet in the U.S.:
Secretary of the Treasury.
5. Also called
diplomatic secretary. a diplomatic official of an embassy or legation who ranks below a counselor and is usually assigned as first secretary, second secretary, or third secretary.
6. a piece of furniture for use as a writing desk.
7. Also called
sec'retary book'case. a desk with bookshelves on top of it.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
