under secretary
or un·der·sec·re·tar·y
[ uhn-der-sek-ri-ter-ee ]
/ ˈʌn dərˈsɛk rɪˌtɛr i /
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noun (often initial capital letters)
an official who is subordinate to a principal secretary, as in the U.S. cabinet: Under Secretary of the Treasury.
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Origin of under secretary
First recorded in 1680–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use under secretary in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for under secretary
undersecretary
/ (ˌʌndəˈsɛkrətrɪ) /
noun plural -taries
(in Britain)
- any of various senior civil servants in certain government departments
- short for undersecretary of state: any of various high officials subordinate only to the minister in charge of a department
(in the US) a high government official subordinate only to the secretary in charge of a department
Derived forms of undersecretary
undersecretaryship, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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