Basic Details
Word: Secretary
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A person who handles letters, records and meetings for an office or club; also the title of a senior government officer.
Synonyms: assistant, clerk, personal assistant
Word origin: From Latin secretarius, a person trusted with secret or private matters.
How to Spell Secretary
Syllables: sec - re - tar - y
Tricky part: In speech the a after the t almost disappears, so students write secretry or secretery. The word is secret followed by -ary.
Watch out for: secretery, secratary, secretry
Memory tip: A good secretary keeps secrets. Write secret, then finish with -ary, like library and diary.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The secretary of our housing society put up a notice about the water cut on Sunday.
Example 2: Papa called the doctor's secretary to book an appointment for Thursday.
Example 3: As class secretary, Meher keeps the attendance sheet for the debating club.
Fun Fact
The secretary bird, an African bird of prey that kills snakes by stamping on them, is said to be named for its head feathers, which look like quill pens tucked behind an ear.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The school secretery sent a circular to all parents about the change in exam timings for the second term.
a) secretery
b) parents
c) timings
d) circular
Show answer
a) secretery. After secret comes -ary, as in diary, so secretery is the slip in this sentence.
Mingle-Mangle
The jumbled word in the sentence hides a real word. Choose it:
The rayscerte typed the letter and placed it on the principal's desk.
a) secretary
b) secretory
c) sanctuary
d) sectarian
Show answer
a) secretary. Secretory looks very close, but the jumble has an a and no o, and only a person can type a letter.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. receptionist 2. accountant 3. librarian 4. secratary
a) a person in charge of a library
b) a person who keeps financial accounts
c) a person who handles letters, records and meetings
d) a person who greets visitors at an office
Show answer
c) a person who handles letters, records and meetings. Secretary has an e after the c, as in secret, so secratary is the misspelt word; the other three are correct.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In a club, the secretary is usually the person who ____.
a) keeps records and calls meetings
b) cleans the hall after events
c) coaches the junior players
d) guards the gate at night
Show answer
a) keeps records and calls meetings
2. What is the plural of secretary?
a) secretaryes
b) secretarise
c) secretarys
d) secretaries
Show answer
d) secretaries
