Second

How to spell second

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce second

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does second mean?

1. adjectiveComing immediately after the first in order, position, or rank.
2. nounA basic unit of time equal to one sixtieth of a minute.
3. verbTo formally express support for a proposal so that it can be discussed or voted on.
4. verbTo transfer an employee temporarily to another department or organisation.

Second in a sentence

• adjective

  She finished in second place behind the leader.

• noun

  The timer beeps every second until it runs out.

• verb

  The committee needs someone to second the motion before the vote.

• verb

  The firm plans to second two engineers to the overseas branch.

• adjective

  The office is on the second floor of the building.

• noun

  The sprinter shaved a second off her personal best.

Where does second come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin secundus, which literally meant 'following' or 'next', and was built on the verb sequi, meaning 'to follow'. The earliest English use, borrowed through Old French in the 1200s, was the ordinal sense: the thing that follows the first. The unit of time has a charming origin: medieval astronomers divided the hour into sixty 'minute' (small) parts, then divided each of those again into sixty 'second minute' parts, the secunda minuta, and the clipped phrase left us simply with 'second'. The same sequi root that lurks inside this word also gives us 'sequence', 'consequence', and 'sequel', all sharing the idea of one thing following another. Because the spelling keeps the Latin 'c' rather than spelling out the harder sound, writers sometimes hesitate over it, but the link to that 'follow' family is a steady guide.

How the word is built

• second- (from Latin secundus: following, next)
• no separate suffix in modern English