Noun

Singular secretary

Plural secretaries

secretary (plural secretaries)

1. (obsolete) Someone entrusted with a secret.
2. A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.
3. The head of a department of government.
4. A managerial or leading position in certain non-profit organizations, such as political parties, trade unions, international organizations.

   Ban Ki-Moon is the current secretary general of the United Nations.

5. A type of desk.
6. A species of bird; Sagittarius serpentarius.

Derived terms

• secretary bird

Related terms

• secretory

A secretary is a person whose work consists of maintaining files, operating telephones, typing letters and other clerical functions. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit of more than one such. In other situations a secretary is an officer of a society or organization who deals with correspondence, admits new members and organizes official meetings and events.

An executive secretary (sometimes called executive assistant) has many administrative duties. Traditionally, these duties were mostly related to correspondence, such as the typing out of letters, maintaining files of paper documents, etc. The advent of word processing has significantly reduced the time that such duties require, with the result that many new tasks have come under the purview of the secretary. These might include managing budgets and doing bookkeeping, maintaining websites, and making travel arrangements. Secretaries might manage all the administrative details of running a high-level conference or arrange the catering for a typical lunch meeting. Often executives will ask their assistant to take the minutes at meetings and prepare meeting documents for review. They may also do personnel paperwork which used to be thought of as a Human Relations function; this might also include understanding the complex rules regarding Visa and Immigration.

The job of executive assistant requires a variety of skills and adaptability to new situations. As such a four-year degree (Bachelors of Arts) is often preferred and a two-year degree is usually a requirement.

Office secretary