secretariat

noun

sec·​re·​tar·​i·​at ˌse-krə-ˈter-ē-ət How to pronounce secretariat (audio)
-ē-ˌat
1
: the office of secretary
2
: a secretarial corps
specifically : the clerical staff of an organization
3
: the administrative department of a governmental organization

Examples of secretariat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Climate change is driving many amphibians toward extinction The majority of frog legs sold to the E.U., with France the biggest consumer, are collected from the wild, according to a report published last year by the CITES secretariat. Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 After Francis became pope, Becciu, who formerly served as de facto chief of staff at the Vatican’s secretariat of state — its diplomatic arm — would frequently travel with him and was seen as one of the few men within the Holy See who could freely knock on the pope’s door. Stefano Pitrelli, Washington Post, 16 Dec. 2023 The main responsibilities of our secretariat is to co-create strategy and pillars of transformation with the districts, connect the districts with the right implementation partners for collective actions, and incentivizing good behaviors and progress so everyone stays motivated. Ashoka, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2023 By contrast, ‘supranational’ institutions exist apart from individual nation-states, with powerful secretariats and binding rules. Martin Daunton, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2023 On the 52-member staff of the ISA’s secretariat, which administers the organization, two positions are held by Chinese nationals. Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023 The shakeup is the latest bout of turbulence to hit MassDOT, an agency that — with the MBTA, Registry of Motor Vehicles, and highway division — directly touches as many, if not more, Massachusetts residents than any other secretariat under Healey. Matt Stout, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Aug. 2023 But the spy case and the diplomatic discord at the Arctic Council - which has its secretariat in Tromso - have pointed to a resurgence of Great Power competition in the region. Emily Rauhala, Anchorage Daily News, 18 July 2023 But the spy case and the diplomatic discord at the Arctic Council — which has its secretariat in Tromso — have pointed to a resurgence of Great Power competition in the region. Emily Rauhala, Washington Post, 17 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'secretariat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French secrétariat, from Medieval Latin secretariatus, from secretarius

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of secretariat was in 1811

Dictionary Entries Near secretariat

Cite this Entry

“Secretariat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secretariat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

secretariat

noun
sec·​re·​tar·​i·​at ˌsek-rə-ˈter-ē-ət How to pronounce secretariat (audio)
-ē-ˌat
1
: the secretaries of an organization
2
: the division of administration of a governmental organization
the United Nations secretariat

More from Merriam-Webster on secretariat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!