sec

¹ American  

1. secant.

2. second.

3. section.

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sec ² American  

[sek] / sɛk /

adjective

1. (of wines) dry; not sweet.

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sec ³ American  

[sek] / sɛk /

noun

Informal.

1. second.

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SEC ⁴ American  

Or S.E.C.

U.S. Government.

1. Securities and Exchange Commission: a board, consisting of five members, charged with regulating the public offer and sale of securities.

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sec. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. second.

2. secondary.

3. secretary.

4. section.

5. sector.

6. according to.

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sec ¹ British  

/ sɛk /

abbreviation

1. secant

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sec ² British  

/ sɛk /

noun

1. informal short for second 2

   wait a sec

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SEC ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Securities and Exchange Commission

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sec. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. second (of time)

2. secondary

3. secretary

4. section

5. sector

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sec ⁵ British  

/ sɛk /

adjective

1. (of wines) dry

2. (of champagne) of medium sweetness

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sec Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of secant

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Etymology

Origin of sec²

From French, dating back to 1885–90; sack ³

Origin of sec³

First recorded in 1955–60; by shortening

Origin of sec.⁵

From the Latin word secundum

Example Sentences

“He’s shy, so he probably won’t come out while you’re here. I’m going to check the bathroom, though. He likes to hide behind the toilet. One sec.”

From Literature

Caporale suggests adding agave nectar to sweeten the lime juice base, along with orange juice or orange peel to compensate for the lack of triple sec.

From Salon

We watched it meticulously fold T-shirts in about 90 secs, but its creator says it is getting faster all the time.

From BBC

“In the shed. Be back in a sec.”

From Literature

The Trojans are 5-1 in a new era where even two-loss teams can qualify and, OK, just play along here for a sec.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bit
• date
• flash
• hour
• juncture
• minute
• occasion
• point
• stage
• time