second
/ˈsɛk.ənd/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.63 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Number-two; following after the first one with nothing between them. The ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number two.
adj
Next to the first in value, power, excellence, dignity, or rank; secondary; subordinate; inferior.
adv
After the first occurrence but before the third.
noun
Something that is number two in a series.
Example Sentences
- "He lives on Second Street."
- "The second volume in "The Lord of the Rings" series is called "The Two Towers"."
- "He became the second player to hit 50000 runs for his county."
- "You take the first one, and I'll have the second."
- "The story struck the depressingly familiar note with which true stories ring in the tried ears of experienced policemen.[…]The second note, the high alarum, not so familiar and always important since it indicates the paramount sin in Man's private calendar, took most of them by surprise although they had been well prepared."
- "Malay is the lingua franca of several Southeast Asia countries and has been simplified by its use as a second language by non-native speakers. For example, the Malay plural is formed by repeating a word twice – buku means book and buku-buku means books."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-der. Proto-Italic *sekʷondo- Latin secundusbor. Old French secondbor. Middle English secunde English second From Middle English secunde, second, secound, secund, borrowed from Old French second, seond, from Latin secundus (“following, next in order”), from root of sequor (“to follow”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”). Doublet of secund and secundo. Displaced native twoth and partially displaced native other (from Old English ōþer (“other; next; second”)).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsɛk.ənd/
- British English: /ˈsɛk.ənd/
Usage
- Informal
- Transitive verb
- British usage
- Obsolete