English Explanatory Dictionary

second

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Number-two; following after the first one with nothing between them. The ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number two.
  2. Next to the first in value, power, excellence, dignity, or rank; secondary; subordinate; inferior.
  3. Being of the same kind as one that has preceded; another.
adv
  1. After the first; at the second rank.
  2. After the first occurrence but before the third.
noun
  1. Something that is number two in a series.
  2. Something that is next in rank, quality, precedence, position, status, or authority.
  3. The place that is next below or after first in a race or contest.
  4. A manufactured item that, though still usable, fails to meet quality control standards.
  5. An additional helping of food.
  6. A chance or attempt to achieve what should have been done the first time, usually indicating success this time around. (See second-guess.)
  7. The interval between two adjacent notes in a diatonic scale (either or both of them may be raised or lowered from the basic scale via any type of accidental).
  8. The second gear of an engine.
  9. Second base.
  10. The agent of a party to an honour dispute whose role was to try to resolve the dispute or to make the necessary arrangements for a duel.
  11. A Cub Scout appointed to assist the sixer.
  12. A second-class honours degree.
verb
  1. To agree as a second person to (a proposal), usually to reach a necessary quorum of two. (See etymology 3 for translations.)
  2. To follow in the next place; to succeed.
  3. To climb after a lead climber.
noun
  1. A unit of time historically and commonly defined as a sixtieth of a minute which the International System of Units more precisely defines as the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of caesium-133 in a ground state at a temperature of absolute zero and at rest.
  2. A unit of angle equal to one-sixtieth of a minute of arc or one part in 3600 of a degree.
  3. A short, indeterminate amount of time.
verb
  1. To transfer temporarily to alternative employment.
  2. To assist or support; to back.
  3. To agree as a second person to (a proposal), usually to reach a necessary quorum of two. (This may come from etymology 1 above.)
  4. To accompany by singing as the second performer.
noun
  1. One who supports another in a contest or combat, such as a dueller's assistant.
  2. One who supports or seconds a motion, or the act itself, as required in certain meetings to pass judgement etc.
  3. Aid; assistance; help.

Pronunciation

/ˈsɛk.ənd/ sĕʹkənd en-us-2nd.ogg en-us-second.ogg en-uk-a second.ogg /ˈsɛk.ɪnd/ /ˈsɛk.(ə)nd/ /ˈsɛk.(ə)nt/ səkŏnd' /səˈkɒnd/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-second2.wav /səˈkɑnd/

Word forms

second 2nd 2ⁿᵈ 2d 2ᵈ IInd II II. seconds seconding seconded s sec arcsec "

Etymology

From Middle English secunde, second, secound, secund, borrowed from Old French second, seond, from Latin secundus (“following, next in order”), from root of sequor (“to follow”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”). Doublet of secund and secundo. Displaced native twoth and partially displaced native other (from Old English ōþer (“other; next; second”)).

Synonyms

other seconder arcsecond second of arc instant jiffy sec bat of an eye bit blink of an eye crack eyeblink flash glimpse half a mo jiff jot minute mo moment New York minute New York second no time second span split-second spurt stound tick trice twink twinkle twinkling while detail

Related words

secundal mul:s mul:sec

Derived words

at second hand beard-second come off second best court of second instance error of the second kind have second thoughts murder in the second degree Newton's second law on second thought on second thoughts party of the second part perpetual motion machine of the second kind play second fiddle second act second amendment secondary second aunt second banana second base second baseman second best secondborn second brain second breakfast second-campism second chance second childhood second city second class second-class continuation second coming second conditional second contact second cosmic velocity second-countable second countable second cousin second cranial nerve second cross-cousin second day cover second death second-degree second derivative second distance second division second down second-drawer second estate second family second fiddle second five-eighth second flour second freedom rights second from last second gas effect second-generation second gentleman second girl second grade second grader

Translations

Danish: støtte Dutch: ondersteuner Finnish: kannattaja Hindi: दूजा Hindi: दूजी Norwegian: støtte Sindhi: ٻِيو Sindhi: ٻِي Swedish: stödjande
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on S Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary