sekhet

v. t. To keep secret. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. secret (cf. Sp. & Pg. secreto, It. secreto, segreto), fr. L. secretus, p. p. of secernere to put apart, to separate. See Certain, and cf. Secrete, Secern. ] 1. Hidden; concealed; as, secret treasure; secret plans; a secret vow. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us. Deut. xxix. 29. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Withdrawn from general intercourse or notice; in retirement or secrecy; secluded. [ 1913 Webster ]

There, secret in her sapphire cell,
He with the Nais wont to dwell. Fenton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Faithful to a secret; not inclined to divulge or betray confidence; secretive. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Secret Romans, that have spoke the word,
And will not palter. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Separate; distinct. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

They suppose two other divine hypostases superior thereunto, which were perfectly secret from matter. Cudworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Hidden; concealed; secluded; retired; unseen; unknown; private; obscure; recondite; latent; covert; clandestine; privy. See Hidden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. ] A process in which mercury, or some of its salts, is employed to impart the property of felting to certain kinds of furs. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to a secretary; befitting a secretary. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Secretarial, diplomatic, or other official training. Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. secrétariat. ] The office of a secretary; the place where a secretary transacts business, keeps records, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Secretaries [ F. secrétaire (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 ]

n. The office, or the term of office, of a secretary. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Secreted; p. pr. & vb. n. Secreting. ] [ L. secretus separated, secret, hidden, p. p. of secernere. See Secret, and cf. Discrete, Discreet. ] 1. To deposit in a place of hiding; to hide; to conceal; as, to secrete stolen goods; to secrete one's self. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physiol.) To separate from the blood and elaborate by the process of secretion; to elaborate and emit as a secretion. See Secretion. [ 1913 Webster ]

Why one set of cells should secrete bile, another urea, and so on, we do not know. Carpenter. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To conceal; hide. See Conceal. [ 1913 Webster ]