Dictionary.com
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of second

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English second, secound(e) (adjective, noun, and adverb), from Old French secunt, secun, second (adjective), from Latin secundus “following, next, second,” equivalent to sec- (base of sequī “to follow”) + -undus verbal adjective suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM second

sec·ond·er, noun

Other definitions for second (2 of 3)

second2
[ sek-uhnd ]
/ ˈsɛk ənd /

noun
the sixtieth part of a minute of time.
a moment or instant: It takes only a second to phone.
the basic unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 cycles of radiation in a transition, or energy level change, of the cesium atom. Abbreviation: sec; Symbol: s, S
Geometry, Astronomy. the sixtieth part of a minute of angular measure, often represented by the sign ″, as in 30″, which is read as 30 seconds.Compare angle1 (def. 1c).

Origin of second

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English seconde, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin secunda (minūta) “second (minute),” feminine of secundus “following, next”; see second1

Other definitions for second (3 of 3)

second3
[ si-kond ]
/ sɪˈkɒnd /

verb (used with object)
to transfer (a military officer, official, or employee) to another organization for temporary duty: Called up in 1941, he served in the Army until 1942, when he was seconded to Naval Intelligence at Bletchley.

Origin of second

3
First recorded in 1795–1805; from French second, noun use of the adjective in the phrase en second, as in lieutenant en second “second lieutenant”; see second1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use second in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for second (1 of 3)

Derived forms of second

seconder, noun

Word Origin for second

C13: via Old French from Latin secundus coming next in order, from sequī to follow

British Dictionary definitions for second (2 of 3)

second2
/ (ˈsɛkənd) /

noun
  1. 1/60 of a minute of time
  2. the basic SI unit of time: the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of caesium-133Symbol: s
1/60 of a minute of angleSymbol:
a very short period of time; moment

Word Origin for second

C14: from Old French, from Medieval Latin pars minūta secunda the second small part (a minute being the first small part of an hour); see second 1

British Dictionary definitions for second (3 of 3)

second3
/ (sɪˈkɒnd) /

verb (tr) British
to transfer (an employee) temporarily to another branch, etc
military to transfer (an officer) to another post, often retiring him to a staff or nonregimental position

Word Origin for second

C19: from French en second in second rank (or position)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for second

second
[ sĕkənd ]

A unit of time equal to 160 of a minute.♦ A sidereal second is 160 of a sidereal minute, and a mean solar second is 160 of a mean solar minute. See more at sidereal time solar time.
A unit of angular measurement, such as longitude or right ascension, equal to 160 of a minute of arc.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with second

second

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK