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I have stenographer, secretary and recorder already (but they don't seem to be precise enough) and I'm hoping to find a shorter word if possible please.

Some context, I'm a software engineer and the naming of entities within a program needs some precision. Since I was coding a simple example for a more non technical user I wanted a shorted and more precise word.

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  • lol - doesn't matter but 4-5 chars is about the size I'm thinking about
    – Preet Sangha
    Commented Aug 18, 2011 at 21:45
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    I'd prefer to see more context. Why aren't the words you mentioned good enough? Where do you intend to use it? Why is it important to you that the word be short?
    – prash
    Commented Aug 19, 2011 at 1:43

3 Answers 3

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Scribe is one of the shortest words for "one who transcribes professionally".

It's difficult to be precise and short sometimes: a clerk might take notes, but probably doesn't do this as a sole task.

Some longer but more precise alternatives are notetaker or transcriptionist.

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    Note that like clerk, the more usual meaning for scribe is more general than just note-taking. It means basically someone who writes, be that notes at a meeting or books in a monastery.
    – Marthaª
    Commented Aug 18, 2011 at 23:05
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    "Scribe" is the preferred word in the some of the companies I have worked for (and with). None of us were professional scribes, but we performed that role (we took turns) in meetings and reviews. We were all engineers.
    – prash
    Commented Aug 18, 2011 at 23:26
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You could try amanuensis:

a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another; secretary.

[Dictionary.com]

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How about "rapporteur?" An old French word for someone who reports. It's a term used at the United Nations and other international organizations.

a person who is appointed by an organization to report on the proceedings of its meetings.

[Wikipedia]

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