"secretary" in seven languages

Meaningsecretary

Spanish

secretario

/sekɾeˈtaɾjo/

masc.learned

fem.: secretaria

French

secrétaire

/səkʁetɛʁ/

masc.learned

Also a writing desk with a fold-down lid.

Italian

segretario

/segreˈtarjo/

masc.learned

fem.: segretaria

Portuguese

secretário

/sekɾeˈtaɾju/

masc.learned

Romanian

secretar

/sekreˈtar/

masc.borrowed · French secrétaire, refashioned on Latin SECRĒTĀRIUS

Catalan

secretari

/səkɾəˈtaɾi/

masc.learned

English

secretary

/ˈsɛkɹətɛɹi/

from Latin/French · Medieval Latin sēcrētārius

English → ItaliansecretarysegretarioCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SECRĒTĀRIUM‘(Medieval Latin) confidential officer’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The secretary was the keeper of secrets. Italian voices the c to g even in this learned word (segreto, segretario).

English relatives: secretary, secret