[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

secretary \sec"retary\, n.; pl. secretaries. f.
   secr'etaire cf. pr. secretari, sp.  pg. secretario, it.
   secretario, segretario ll. secretarius, originally, a
   confidant, one intrusted with secrets, from l. secretum a
   secret. see secret, a.  n.
   1. one who keeps, or is intrusted with, secrets. r.
      1913 webster

   2. a person employed to write orders, letters, dispatches,
      public or private papers, records, and the like; an
      official scribe, amanuensis, or writer; one who attends to
      correspondence, and transacts other business, for an
      association, a public body, or an individual.
      1913 webster

            that which is most of all profitable is acquaintance
            with the secretaries, and employed men of
            ambassadors.                          --bacon.
      1913 webster

   3. an officer of state whose business is to superintend and
      manage the affairs of a particular department of
      government, and who is usually a member of the cabinet or
      advisory council of the chief executive; as, the secretary
      of state, who conducts the correspondence and attends to
      the relations of a government with foreign courts; the
      secretary of the treasury, who manages the department of
      finance; the secretary of war, etc.
      1913 webster

   4. a piece of furniture, with conveniences for writing and
      for the arrangement of papers; an escritoire.
      1913 webster

   5. zool. the secretary bird.
      1913 webster

   secretary bird. so called in allusion to the tufts of
      feathers at the back of its head, which were fancifully
      thought to resemble pens stuck behind the ear. zool. a
      large long-legged raptorial bird gypogeranus
      serpentarius, native of south africa, but now
      naturalized in the west indies and some other tropical
      countries. it has a powerful hooked beak, a crest of long
      feathers, and a long tail. it feeds upon reptiles of
      various kinds, and is much prized on account of its habit
      of killing and devouring snakes of all kinds. called also
      serpent eater.
      1913 webster

   syn: see the note under clerk, n., 4.
        1913 webster
see also:
secretaries secret secretary bird gypogeranus serpentarius serpent eater clerk 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

secretary
     n 1: a person who is head of an administrative department of
          government
     2: an assistant who handles correspondence and clerical work
        for a boss or an organization syn: secretarial assistant
     3: a person to whom a secret is entrusted syn: repository
     4: a desk used for writing syn: writing table, escritoire,
         secretaire
see also:
secretarial assistant repository writing table escritoire secretaire 

[3] : Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

secretary. an officer who, by order of his superior, writes letters and 
other instruments. he is so called because he is possessed of the secrets of 
his employer. this term wag used in france in 1343, and in england the term 
secretary was first applied to the clerks of the king, who being always near 
his person were called clerks of the secret, and in the reign of henry viii. 
the term secretary of state came into it. 

[4] : U.S. Gazetteer (1990)

secretary, md town, fips 70900
  location: 38.60739 n, 75.94746 w
  population 1990: 528 231 housing units
  area: 0.7 sq km land, 0.0 sq km water

[5] : U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000)

secretary, md -- u.s. town in maryland
   population 2000:    503
   housing units 2000: 218
   land area 2000:     0.258731 sq. miles 0.670109 sq. km
   water area 2000:    0.000000 sq. miles 0.000000 sq. km
   total area 2000:    0.258731 sq. miles 0.670109 sq. km
   fips code:            70900
   located within:       maryland md, fips 24
   location:             38.609886 n, 75.949006 w
   zip codes 1990:    
   note: some zip codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   headwords:
    secretary, md
    secretary

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Secretary Of St, definition of term: Secretary Of St
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