What does second mean?

Definitions for second
ˈsɛk əndsec·ond

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word second.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. second, sec, snoun

    1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

  2. moment, mo, minute, second, bitnoun

    an indefinitely short time

    "wait just a moment"; "in a mo"; "it only takes a minute"; "in just a bit"

  3. second base, secondnoun

    the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed near the second of the bases in the infield

  4. moment, minute, second, instantnoun

    a particular point in time

    "the moment he arrived the party began"

  5. secondnoun

    following the first in an ordering or series

    "he came in a close second"

  6. second, arcsecondnoun

    a 60th part of a minute of arc

    "the treasure is 2 minutes and 45 seconds south of here"

  7. secondnoun

    the official attendant of a contestant in a duel or boxing match

  8. second, secondment, endorsement, indorsementnoun

    a speech seconding a motion

    "do I hear a second?"

  9. second gear, secondnoun

    the gear that has the second lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle

    "he had to shift down into second to make the hill"

  10. irregular, secondadjective

    merchandise that has imperfections; usually sold at a reduced price without the brand name

  11. second, 2nd, 2dadjective

    coming next after the first in position in space or time or degree or magnitude

  12. secondverb

    a part or voice or instrument or orchestra section lower in pitch than or subordinate to the first

    "second flute"; "the second violins"

  13. second, back, endorse, indorseverb

    give support or one's approval to

    "I'll second that motion"; "I can't back this plan"; "endorse a new project"

  14. secondadverb

    transfer an employee to a different, temporary assignment

    "The officer was seconded for duty overseas"

  15. second, secondlyadverb

    in the second place

    "second, we must consider the economy"

GCIDE

  1. Secondnoun

    (Parliamentary Procedure) A motion in support of another motion which has been moved in a deliberative body; a motion without a second dies without discussion.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. SECONDnoun

    It is observable that the English have no ordinal of two, as the Latins and the nations deriving from them have none of duo. What the Latins call secundus, from sequor, the Saxons term oþer , or æftera.

    Etymology: second, French; secundus, Latin.

    Sunk were their hearts with horror of the crime,
    Nor needed to be warn’d a second time,
    But bore each other back. Dryden.

    I shall not speak superlatively of them, lest I be suspected of partiality; but this I may truly say, they are second to none in the Christian world. Francis Bacon, Advice to Villiers.

    None I know
    Second to me, or like; equal much less. John Milton.

    My eyes are still the same; each glance, each grace,
    Keep their first lustre, and maintain their place,
    Not second yet to any other face. Dryden.

    Not these huge bolts, by which the giants slain;
    Lay overthrown on the Phlegrean plain;
    ’Twas of a lesser mould and lighter weight;
    They call it thunder of a second rate. Addison.

    By a sad train of miseries alone
    Distinguish’d long, and second now to none. Alexander Pope.

    Persons of second rate merit in their own country, like birds of passage, thrive here, and fly off when their employments are at an end. Jonathan Swift.

  2. Secondnoun

    Etymology: second, French; from the adjective.

    Their seconds minister an oath,
    Which was indifferent to them both,
    That on their knightly faith and troth
    No magick them supplied;
    And sought them that they had no charms,
    Wherewith to work each other’s harms,
    But came with simple open arms
    To have their causes tried. Michael Drayton, Nymphid.

    Their first encounters were very furious, ’till after some toil and bloodshed they were parted by the seconds. Addison.

    Personal brawls come in as seconds to finish the dispute of opinion. Isaac Watts.

    He propounded the duke as a main cause of divers infirmities in the state, being sure enough of seconds after the first onset. Henry Wotton.

    Courage, when it is only a second to injustice, and falls on without provocation, is a disadvantage to a character. Collier.

    Four flames of an equal magnitude will be kept alive the space of sixteen second minutes, though one of these flames alone, in the same vessel, will not last above twenty-five or at most thirty seconds. John Wilkins, Math. Magic.

    Sounds move above 1140 English feet in a second minute of time, and in seven or eight minutes of time about 100 English miles. John Locke.

  3. To Secondverb

    Etymology: seconder, Fr. secundo, Lat. from the noun.

    The authors of the former opinion were presently seconded by other wittier and better learned, who being loth that the form of church polity, which they sought to bring in, should be otherwise than in the highest degree accounted of, took first an exception against the difference between church polity and matters of necessity to salvation. Richard Hooker.

    Though we here fall down,
    We have supplies to second our attempt;
    If they miscarry, theirs shall second them. William Shakespeare, Henry VI.

    I to be the power of Israel’s God
    Avow, and challenge Dagon to the test,
    Off’ring to combat thee his champion bold,
    With th’ utmost of his godhead seconded. John Milton.

    Familiar Ovid tender thoughts inspires,
    And nature seconds all his soft desires. Wentworth Dillon.

    If in company you offer something for a jest, and no body seconds you in your laughter, you may condemn their taste; but in the mean time you make a very indifferent figure. Jonathan Swift.

    In human works, though labour’d on with pain,
    A thousand movements scarce one purpose gain;
    In God’s, one single can its ends produce,
    Yet serves to second too some other use. Alexander Pope.

    You some permit
    To second ills with ills. William Shakespeare.

    Having formerly discoursed of a maritimal voyage, I think it not impertinent to second the same with some necessary relations concerning the royal navy. Walter Raleigh.

    He saw his guileful act
    By Eve, though all unweeting, seconded
    Upon her husband. John Milton, Paradise Lost.

    Sin is usually seconded with sin; and a man seldom commits one sin to please, but he commits another to defend himself. Robert South, Sermons.

Wikipedia

  1. Second

    The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as 1⁄86400 of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Units (SI) is more precise:The second [...] is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the caesium frequency, ΔνCs, the unperturbed ground-state hyperfine transition frequency of the caesium 133 atom, to be 9192631770 when expressed in the unit Hz, which is equal to s−1. This current definition was adopted in 1967 when it became feasible to define the second based on fundamental properties of nature with caesium clocks. Because the speed of Earth's rotation varies and is slowing ever so slightly, a leap second is added at irregular intervals to civil time to keep clocks in sync with Earth's rotation.

ChatGPT

  1. second

    "Second" is a unit of time that is equivalent to 1/60th of a minute or 1/3,600th of an hour. It is used to measure short durations or intervals. Additionally, "second" can refer to the following: 1. An ordinal number that represents the position following the first. 2. In music, a lower-pitched tone that is reproduced simultaneously with the main tone. 3. In angles or geometry, the measure of the sixtieth part of a minute or one-sixtieth of a degree.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Secondadjective

    immediately following the first; next to the first in order of place or time; hence, occuring again; another; other

  2. Secondadjective

    next to the first in value, power, excellence, dignity, or rank; secondary; subordinate; inferior

  3. Secondadjective

    being of the same kind as another that has preceded; another, like a protype; as, a second Cato; a second Troy; a second deluge

  4. Secondnoun

    one who, or that which, follows, or comes after; one next and inferior in place, time, rank, importance, excellence, or power

  5. Secondnoun

    one who follows or attends another for his support and aid; a backer; an assistant; specifically, one who acts as another's aid in a duel

  6. Secondnoun

    aid; assistance; help

  7. Secondnoun

    an article of merchandise of a grade inferior to the best; esp., a coarse or inferior kind of flour

  8. Secondadjective

    the sixtieth part of a minute of time or of a minute of space, that is, the second regular subdivision of the degree; as, sound moves about 1,140 English feet in a second; five minutes and ten seconds north of this place

  9. Secondadjective

    in the duodecimal system of mensuration, the twelfth part of an inch or prime; a line. See Inch, and Prime, n., 8

  10. Secondnoun

    the interval between any tone and the tone which is represented on the degree of the staff next above it

  11. Secondnoun

    the second part in a concerted piece; -- often popularly applied to the alto

  12. Secondadjective

    to follow in the next place; to succeed; to alternate

  13. Secondadjective

    to follow or attend for the purpose of assisting; to support; to back; to act as the second of; to assist; to forward; to encourage

  14. Secondadjective

    specifically, to support, as a motion or proposal, by adding one's voice to that of the mover or proposer

  15. Etymology: [F., fr. L. secundus second, properly, following, fr. sequi to follow. See Sue to follow, and cf. Secund.]

Wikidata

  1. Second

    The second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units and is also a unit of time in other systems of measurement it is the second division of the hour by sixty, the first division by 60 being the minute. Between 1000 and 1960 the second was defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day. Between 1960 and 1967, it was defined in terms of the period of the Earth's orbit around the Sun in 1900, but it is now defined more precisely in atomic terms. Seconds may be measured using mechanical, electric or atomic clocks. Astronomical observations of the 19th and 20th centuries revealed that the mean solar day is slowly but measurably lengthening and the length of a tropical year is not entirely predictable either; thus the sun–earth motion is no longer considered a suitable basis for definition. With the advent of atomic clocks, it became feasible to define the second based on fundamental properties of nature. Since 1967, the second has been defined to be: SI prefixes are frequently combined with the word second to denote subdivisions of the second, e.g., the millisecond, the microsecond, and the nanosecond. Though SI prefixes may also be used to form multiples of the second such as kilosecond, such units are rarely used in practice. The more common larger non-SI units of time are not formed by powers of ten; instead, the second is multiplied by 60 to form a minute, which is multiplied by 60 to form an hour, which is multiplied by 24 to form a day.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Second

    sek′und, adj. immediately following the first: the ordinal of two: next in position: inferior: other: another: favourable.—n. one who, or that which, follows or is second: one who attends another in a duel or a prize-fight: a supporter: the 60th part of a minute of time, or of a degree.—v.t. to follow: to act as second: to assist: to encourage: to support the mover of a question or resolution: (mus.) to sing second to: to put into temporary retirement in the army, as an officer when holding civil office (usually sēcond′).n. Sec′ond-ad′ventist, one who lives in expectation of a second coming of Christ to establish a personal kingdom on earth, a premillenarian.—adv. Sec′ondarily, in a secondary manner or degree: (B.) secondly.—n. Sec′ondariness.—adj. Sec′ondary, following or coming after the first: second in position: inferior: subordinate: deputed.—n. a subordinate: a delegate or deputy.—adjs. Sec′ond-best, next to the best: best except one—(Come off second-best, to get the worst of a contest); Sec′ond-class, inferior to the first, as a second-class carriage.—ns. Sec′onder, one who seconds or supports; Sec′ond-flour, flour of a coarser quality, seconds.—adj. Sec′ond-hand, received as it were from the hand of a second person: not new: that has been used by another.—n. a hand for marking seconds on a clock or watch.—adv. Sec′ondly, in the second place.—ns. Sec′ond-mark, the character ″ as the mark in mathematics for a second of arc, in architecture for inches, and as a sign for a second of time; Secon′do, the lower part in a duet.—adj. Sec′ond-rate, being second in power, size, rank, quality, or value.—ns. Sec′ond-sight (see Sight); Sec′onds-pen′dulum, a pendulum which makes one oscillation per second of mean time.—Secondary education, that which is higher than primary or elementary; Secondary formation, rocks, strata, the Mesozoic strata; Secondary planet, a moon or satellite; Secondary school, a school for higher education; Second childhood, a condition of mental weakness often accompanying old age; Second coming, the second coming of Christ, or Second Advent; Second cousin, the child of a cousin; Second estate, the House of Lords; Second guard, an additional guard to a sword; Second story, in America, the second range of rooms from the first level, called in England the first floor; Second thoughts, reconsideration. [Fr.,—L. secundussequi, secutus, to follow.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. second

    The sixtieth part of a minute. A division of a degree of a circle. A term applied both to time and to space. Also, second in a duel; a very important part to play, since many a life may be saved without implicating honour.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. second

    The next in order to the first; the next in place or station; as, a second lieutenant of the artillery service.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'second' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #228

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'second' in Written Corpus Frequency: #418

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'second' in Nouns Frequency: #459

How to pronounce second?

How to say second in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of second in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of second in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of second in a Sentence

  1. Dennis Nally:

    You've got the second largest economy in the world that until now has seen very, very good growth rates when many others were really struggling, and now we are seeing a real slowdown, there are big concerns with regard to currency and the stock market, and there are real questions about what this means for China's ability to transform its economy.

  2. Brody Jenner:

    Hopefully in the second season they start filming more about what we actually do in our real life, not just gossiping and sitting at a restaurant or going to a nightclub. There are a lot more things that we have going on in our lives that are interesting and cool, and [music] being one of them.

  3. Shah Asad Rizvi:

    Waste not a second of the day, who knows if this moment will return, count each blessing of time when you dance the dance of life

  4. Michelle Obama:

    The ability to walk in someone elses shoes. The recognition that someone elses experience has values too, most of us practice this without a second thought.

  5. Harry Kazianis:

    I don't think anybody wants to see a second Korean War and everything that would happen, so I think it's important to have some sort of communication with them, as horrible as it sounds, it is a reality.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

second#1#486#10000

Translations for second

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • tweede, sekondeAfrikaans
  • ثانٍ, ثانية, ثانArabic
  • ikinci, saniyəAzerbaijani
  • другі, секундаBelarusian
  • секунда, вториBulgarian
  • দ্বিতীয়, সেকেন্ডBengali
  • daouvet, eil, eilennBreton
  • segona, segon, moment, instantCatalan, Valencian
  • vteřina, druhý, druhá jakost, sekundant, druhák, chvilka, sekunda, úhlová vteřina, okamžikCzech
  • ail, amrantiad, eiliadWelsh
  • anden, sekundavare, sekund, sekundant, støtte, næst-, nummer to, sekundere, bakke op, øjeblikDanish
  • Augenblick, zweiter, Moment, zweite Wahl, Sekundant, SekundeGerman
  • δεύτερη, δευτερόλεπτο, δεύτερος, μάρτυρας, υποστηρίζω, αποσπώ, λεπτό, στιγμήGreek
  • sekundo, duaEsperanto
  • momento, segundo, segunda, secundarSpanish
  • teine, sekund, toetamaEstonian
  • bigarren, segundoBasque
  • ثانیه, دومPersian
  • [[uusi]] mahdollisuus, [[toinen]] [[sija]], hetki, kakkonen, sekunti, toisena, sekunda, [[toinen]] [[mahdollisuus]], toiseksi, kakkossija, kannattaja, kakkospesä, toinen, sekundantti, lisää, kakkoslaatu, avustaja, kakkosvaihde, tukea, komentaa, kannattaa, seurata, kulmasekuntiFinnish
  • sekundFaroese
  • seconde, deux, deuxième, second, soutenir, instant, seconde d'angleFrench
  • twadde, 2e, sekonde, efkesWestern Frisian
  • dara, dóú, cuidigh, soicindIrish
  • dara, dàrna, diog, soiceandScottish Gaelic
  • segundoGalician
  • aravo'iveGuaraní
  • derreyManx
  • שני, דקה, דקות, שניהHebrew
  • दूसरा, सैकण्ड, सैकंडHindi
  • segonnHaitian Creole
  • második, másodperc, segéd, kettes, pillanatHungarian
  • երկրորդ, վայրկյան, երկվայրկյան, պահArmenian
  • secunde, secundarInterlingua
  • kedua, detik, sekonIndonesian
  • duesmaIdo
  • tvíund, annar, sekúndaIcelandic
  • secondo, padrino, appoggiare, sostenere, comandare, distaccare, attimo, momento, assecondare, secondareItalian
  • 二番目, セコンド, 第二, B級品, 秒Japanese
  • მეორე, წამი, სეკუნდიGeorgian
  • секунд, екіншіKazakh
  • ទីពីរ, វិនាទីKhmer
  • 초, 둘째Korean
  • دوه‌م, چرکه‌, سانیهKurdish
  • секунда, экинчиKyrgyz
  • secundum, altrum, momentumLatin
  • zweetLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
  • ທີ່ສອງ, ວິນາທີLao
  • antra, antrasLithuanian
  • otrā, otrais, sekundeLatvian
  • tuarua, hēkenaMāori
  • второстепена стока, секунда, секундант, втор, втора, миг, моментMacedonian
  • രണ്ടാമത്തെMalayalam
  • хоёрдугаар, секунд, хоромMongolian
  • kedua, saat, detikMalay
  • it-tieni, ta' sekonda, sekonda, dalwaqtMaltese
  • ဒုတိယ, စက္ကန့်Burmese
  • tweede, seconde, secondant, secunde, ondersteuner, herkansing, ondersteunen, moment, bijvallenDutch
  • andre, feilvare, sekundant, støtte, sekund, øyeblikkNorwegian
  • naaki góneʼ, tsį́įłgo yilkiłígíí, áłtsʼíísígoNavajo, Navaho
  • sekunda, sekundant, drugiPolish
  • دوهمPashto, Pushto
  • segundo, [[artigo]] [[de segunda]], segunda, instante, momento, apoiar, secundarPortuguese
  • secundaRomansh
  • al doilea, secund, susține, secundăRomanian
  • секунда, второй, секундант, момент, поддерживать, поддержать, командировать, откомандировать, откомандировывать, мигRussian
  • ٻِيو, ٻِي, ٻِيون, سيڪنڊSindhi
  • секунда, други, drugi, sekunda, sekund, секундSerbo-Croatian
  • දෙවැනි, තත්පරයSinhala, Sinhalese
  • sekunda, druhý, vyjadriť súhlas, podporiťSlovak
  • drúgi, sekunda, sekundantSlovene
  • ilbiriqsiSomali
  • dytë, sekondëAlbanian
  • detikSundanese
  • andra, andrahandsvara, sekund, sekond, tvåan, stödjande, utskottsvara, sekundant, bågsekund, sekundera, stödja, bifalla, instämma, ögonblickSwedish
  • sekunde, ya piliSwahili
  • நொடி, வினாடிTamil
  • సెకను, రెండోరకం, రెండవ, క్షణం, సెకండుTelugu
  • дуюм, сонияTajik
  • ที่สอง, วินาทีThai
  • ikinji, sekuntTurkmen
  • ikalawaTagalog
  • ikinci, saniyeTurkish
  • икенче, секундTatar
  • ئىككىنچى, سېكۇنتUyghur, Uighur
  • другий, секундаUkrainian
  • دوسرا, سیکنڈUrdu
  • sekund, ikkinchi, soniyaUzbek
  • giây, thứ, hai, thứ nhì, tán thành, ủng hộVietnamese
  • telid, sekunVolapük
  • saaWolof
  • צווייט, סעקונדעYiddish

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