Word of the Week: tajemník – ‘secretary’

Many organisations have the position of tajemník, a secretary, such as the United Nations’ Generální tajemník (in English: Secretary-General). This Czech term is another case of other languages inspiring the structure or formation of Czech vocabulary.

English secretary comes from Medieval Latin secrētārius, the assistant or clerk entrusted with your sēcrēta – that is, your secrets. This idea of a trusted secret-keeper inspired Czechs to coin tajemník from their word for ‘secret’ (tajemství) or ‘mysterious’ (tajemný).