second Hear it!

second¹ Definition

sec·ond (sek′ənd)

adjective

  1. coming next after the first in order of place or time; 2d or 2nd
  2. another; other; additional; supplementary to take a second helping
  3. being of the same kind as another; resembling a given original a second Shakespeare
  4. alternate; other every second day
  5. next below the first in rank, power, value, merit, excellence, etc.
  6. inferior; subordinate; secondary
  7. Music
    1. lower in pitch
    2. playing or singing a part that is lower in pitch

Etymology: ME secunde < OFr < L secundus, following, second < sequi, to follow: see sequent

noun

  1. the next after the first
  2. any person, thing, class, place, etc. that is second
  3. an article of merchandise that falls below the standard set for first quality
    1. a kind of coarse flour
    2. bread made from this
  5. an aide or official assistant, esp. to one of the principals in a duel or boxing match
  6. the second forward gear of a transmission: it provides more speed but less torque than first
  7. the act or an instance of seconding
  8. a second helping of something to eat
  9. ☆ Baseball second base
  10. Music
    1. the second tone of an ascending diatonic scale, or a tone one degree above or below any given tone in such a scale
    2. the interval between two such tones, or a combination of them
    3. the second part in a harmonized composition, esp. the alto
    4. an instrument or voice taking this part

transitive verb

  1. to act as an aide or second to; aid; assist
  2. to give support or encouragement to; further; reinforce
  3. to indicate formally one's approval or support of (a motion, nomination, etc.) as a necessary preliminary to discussion of or a vote on it

adverb

  1. in the second place, rank, group, etc.
  2. next to or next after the second last row

second¹ Related Forms

sec′·onder noun

second² Definition

se·cond (si känd′)

transitive verb

  1. to transfer (a military officer) from regular service to special service, civil or military
  2. to transfer (an official, employee, etc.) to a temporary assignment

Etymology: < Fr en second, in second position

second² Related Forms

se·cond′·ment noun

second³ Definition

sec·ond (sek′ənd)

noun

    1. of a minute of time
    2. the basic unit of time in the SI, MKS, CGS, or FPS systems: redefined in 1967 so that it is now based on the periodic oscillations of an atomic clock which uses cesium atoms and has a resonance frequency of 9,192,631,770 hertz: abbrev. s
  2. of a minute of angular measurement: symbol, ″
  3. a very short period of time; moment; instant
  4. a specific point in time

Etymology: ME seconde < ML (pars minuta) secunda, second (small part): from being a further division (i.e., beyond the minute) < L secundus: see second

second Synonyms

second

modif.

secondary, subordinate, inferior, next, next in order, following, next to the first, next in rank, another, other; see also unimportant.

on second thought

on further consideration, on mature consideration, in reality, on the other hand, as an afterthought; see also incidentally.

play second fiddle to

defer to, be inferior to, be less successful than, get less attention than; see fail 1.

second Synonyms

second

n.

flash, trice, flash of an eyelid; see moment, instant.

second Telecom Definition

  1. One sixtieth ( 1 / 60 ) of a minute.
  2. In the International Systems of Units (SI), the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium-133 atom.This is the base unit of time for atomic clocks, which are the basis for the UTC time scale and the calibration of other clocks, frequency counters, and frequency standards.This refers to a cesium atom at rest, at sea level, at a temperature of 0 K (0 Kelvin, or absolute zero). This measurement is highly stable, unlike the natural frequency standards such as the rotation of the Earth on its axis, the rotation of the Earth around the sun, and electrical and mechanical vibrations such as pendulums, tuning forks, and vibrations of quartz crystals. See also SI and UTC.

second Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • knock: She did herself and Clevedon proud on Monday 1st August by knocking almost 4 seconds off her PB in the 200m Freestyle event.
  • take: Note it will probably take a few seconds to render!
  • come: Mocap applied overall at 100 kg/ha came a close second with a yield saving of 6.8 t/ha.

Adjective modifier

  • few: In the following few seconds I think Richard invented a new sport; climbing wall running!
  • close: Mocap applied overall at 100 kg/ha came a close second with a yield saving of 6.8 t/ha.
  • several: I was caught on the lip for several seconds, the water whipping away my breath and drumming hard on my helmet.

Modifies a noun

  • half: Quiet second half, broken up by a lot of Bolton changes.
  • edition: A useful addition to the second edition was a symbol to indicate which pubs welcome dogs.
  • phase: The final second phase LAA pilot sign off is expected in March 2006.
  • floor: You'll find us on the Second floor of the Students ' Union Main Building.
  • round: Proposed motion for a second round of speeches: Motion fails almost unanimously.
  • quarter: The company said that net new home orders for the first two months of the second quarter fell 41 % from a year ago.

Used with adjective complement

  • finish: THE PLATE Tough competition followed the round robin rounds with the overall plate winner going to Stan Smith with Derek Shaw finishing second.
  • rank: Resources: In the nineteenth century, Glasgow was ranked second after London as a commercial and cultural center of the British Empire.
  • come: Clark was to prove a quick learner coming second to Colin Chapman, the man soon to become his employer.

Noun used with modifier

forty: We stood inside the room for fully forty seconds, and the odd old gentleman did not look at us.

Preposition: in

  • command: Villeneuve, who commanded the Franco-Spanish fleet, had been second in command at the Battle of the Nile.
  • series: Typically, I read the second in the series - Paladin of Souls - first.

Preposition: from

left: Select the " subtract " option - second from the left as indicated below.

Preposition: since

epoch: The epoch seconds information is used to delete old orders and represents the number of seconds since the epoch ( Jan.