Sekreterende

Sekreterende is a term used in Norwegian and Danish to denote a person who acts as secretary, particularly on a temporary or interim basis. In addition to noun use, it can function as an adjective describing someone serving in the secretary’s duties during a specific period, such as a meeting or a committee session.

The sekreterende typically handles administrative and clerical tasks associated with the secretary’s role. Common duties include taking minutes, preparing agendas, coordinating meeting logistics, handling correspondence, and maintaining records and archives. In larger organizations, the sekreterende may work with other administrative staff, but their primary responsibility is to ensure orderly secretarial support for proceedings.

Usage of the term is common in formal or institutional contexts, such as municipal councils, boards, associations, and, to some extent, parliamentary settings. It contrasts with sekreteret or sekretær, which refer more directly to a permanent or official secretary. In some contexts, phrases like acting or interim secretary are expressed by counting the sekreterende as the temporary holder of the position.

Etymology and nuance: sekreterende is formed from sekreter (secretary) with the participial suffix -ende, signaling an ongoing or acting role. The word is particularly prevalent in Norwegian and Danish, while other languages may use different formulations for the same concept, such as acting secretary in English.

See also: sekretariat, protokollfører, sekretær.