# secretary

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsɛk.ɹə.tə.ɹi/ · frequency rank #1,206

## Definitions
1. A person who keeps records, takes notes and handles general clerical work.
2. The head of a department of government.
3. A managerial or leading position in certain non-profit organizations, such as political parties, trade unions, international organizations.
4. A type of desk, secretary desk; a secretaire.
5. A secretary bird, a bird of the species Sagittarius serpentarius.
6. Someone entrusted with a secret; a confidant.
7. Someone employed as a scribe for personal correspondence.

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **secretly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/secretary-vs-secretly)

## Common misspellings (14)
`escretary`, `sceretary`, `seccretary`, `secertary`, `secreatry`, `secretarry`, `secretaryy`, `secretayr`, `secretray`, `secrettary`, `secrretary`, `secrteary`, `sercetary`, `ssecretary`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/secretary