Etymologically
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secretum

Etymology and origin of the Latin word secretum

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
Virgil
Ultimate origin
Latin (cernō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [seːˈkreː.tũː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [seˈkrɛː.tum][1]

Forms

sēcrētum n (genitive sēcrētī); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is the neuter of sēcrētus “separate, secret”, the past participle of sēcernō “to set apart”, used as a noun.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Virgil, whom he dates 70–19 BC, and the OLD cites Virgil for a secluded place.[3][2]

Semantic evolution

It meant retirement, seclusion, as in Ovid, in sēcrētō in private, as in Livy, and in Virgil a secluded place, a retreat.[2][4] In Seneca it meant privacy, sēcrētum petere to ask for a private interview, in Tacitus private dealings and private life, and in Suetonius private papers.[2] From Livy it meant a secret, in Ovid a mystic rite, in Pliny the Elder a hidden process, and in Gellius abstruseness.[2]

Medieval Latin used ā sēcrētīs for a secretary.[5] Medieval Latin sēcrētārius “confidential officer” from it gave English secretary in the late 14th century.[6]

Timeline

  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of a secluded place.[2][3]
  • 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it of a secret.[2][3]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of private life.[2][3]
  • late 14th century – English secretary is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Seclusion, retirement, in sēcrētō, in private.[2]
  2. A secluded place, retreat.[2]
  3. Privacy; private dealings; private papers.[2]
  4. A secret; a mystic rite; a hidden process.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Secretum.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/secretum. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·