Definition of "secretary-general" [secretary-general]

• A principal executive officer, as in certain political parties or governmental bodies such as the United Nations. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "- Chen Tyau-her, secretary-general of the East Asian Relations Commission Taiwan expressed its concerns to Japan over Tokyo's proposal to search for undersea resources near the Diaoyutai (釣魚台) islands after it learned of the plan from Kyodo News Agency, said Chen Tyau-her (陳調和), ­secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 'East Asian Relations Commission."
• "Three years earlier, the generalissimo’s wife had taken on the title of secretary-general of the Chinese air force."
• "Davutoglu said he had spoken with counterparts in Brazil, Germany and the United States concerning the situation in Syria, and planned to call the secretary-general of the Arab League."