definitions

second language

noun

a language learned by a person after his or her native language, especially as a resident of an area where it is in general use.
a language widely used, especially in educational and governmental functions in a region where all or most of its speakers are nonnative, as English in India or Nigeria.

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Nearby words

second hand, second heart sound, second home, second intention, second international, second language, second law of motion, second law of thermodynamics, second lien, second lieutenant, second man
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for second language

second language

noun

a language other than the mother tongue that a person or community uses for public communication, esp in trade, higher education, and administration
a non-native language officially recognized and adopted in a multilingual country as a means of public communication
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