secondary

[ sek-uhn-der-ee ]

/ ˈsɛk ənˌdɛr i /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR secondary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

next after the first in order, place, time, etc.

belonging or pertaining to a second order, division, stage, period, rank, grade, etc.

(in scholarly studies) pertaining to or being a derived or derivative account, an evaluation of original data, etc.; not primary or original, as in secondary source; secondary research.

of minor or lesser importance; subordinate; auxiliary.

of or relating to secondary schools.

Chemistry.

involving or obtained by the replacement of two atoms or groups.
noting or containing a carbon atom united to two other carbon atoms in a chain or ring molecule.

Electricity. noting or pertaining to the current induced by a primary winding or to the winding in which the current is induced in an induction coil, transformer, or the like.

Geology. noting or pertaining to a mineral produced from another mineral by decay, alteration, or the like.

Grammar.

(of a derivative) having a root or other unanalyzable element that is itself a word or free form: The word “glazier” is a secondary derivative formed by adding a suffix to “glaze.” The word "debatably" is formed directly from "debatable" and is therefore a secondary derivative from "debate."
having reference to past time; noting or pertaining to a past tense: the Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit secondary tenses.Compare primary(def 13).

Ornithology. pertaining to any of a set of flight feathers on the second segment of a bird's wing.

Linguistics. of, relating to, or characteristic of a secondary accent: secondary stress.

noun, plural sec·ond·ar·ies.

a person or thing that is secondary.

a subordinate, assistant, deputy, or agent.

Electricity. a winding in a transformer or the like in which a current is induced by a primary winding.

Ornithology. a secondary feather.

Football. the defensive unit that lines up behind the linemen.

Linguistics. secondary accent.

Origin of secondary

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word secundārius. See second¹, -ary

SYNONYMS FOR secondary

4 alternate, subsidiary, backup.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR secondary ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM secondary

sec·ond·ar·i·ly

[sek-uhn-der-uh-lee, sek-uhn-dair-] /ˈsɛk ənˌdɛr ə li, ˌsɛk ənˈdɛər-/, adverb sec·ond·ar·i·ness, noun

Words nearby secondary

second-homer, second-rate, second-story, second-story man, second-strike, secondary, secondary abdominal pregnancy, secondary accent, secondary adhesion, secondary adrenocortical insufficiency, secondary alcohol

Example sentences from the Web for secondary

Over the past three years, Michigan has had an average price close to $200 on the secondary market.

Is Any College Football Coach Worth $60 Million? Jim Harbaugh Is |Jesse Lawrence |December 20, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He fooled around a lot, and was asked to leave his secondary school.

The Brit Who Stormed Broadway |Tim Teeman |December 7, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
More importantly, Medicaid served as a secondary insurance to his primary insurance.

Medicaid Will Give You Money for At-Home Care, but You Might Wait Years |Elizabeth Picciuto |December 2, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The realities with which we are engaged in our daily lives are secondary realities.

Joseph Campbell on the Roots of Halloween |Joseph Campbell |October 31, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Jenkins had written entirely from secondary literature—no interviews or excavation of legal documents.

How the ‘Witch Hunt’ Myth Undermined American Justice |Jason Berry |July 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A secondary result would be a considerable power development and a source of domestic water supply for southern California.

State of the Union Addresses of Calvin Coolidge |Calvin Coolidge
That they were originally adjectives, and cases only in a secondary manner.

Opuscula |Robert Gordon Latham
The long legs and short arms of man are due, I believe, to a secondary readjustment of proportions.

Man, Past and Present |Agustus Henry Keane
Impulse is primary and intelligence is secondary and in some sense derivative.

Human Nature and Conduct |John Dewey
In how far the constipation is primary and in how far it is secondary is a question.

The Nervous Housewife |Abraham Myerson

British Dictionary definitions for secondary

secondary

/ (ˈsɛkəndərɪ, -drɪ) /

adjective

one grade or step after the first; not primary

derived from or depending on what is primary, original, or first a secondary source

below the first in rank, importance, etc; not of major importance

(prenominal) of or relating to the education of young people between the ages of 11 and 18 secondary education

(of the flight feathers of a bird's wing) growing from the ulna

being the part of an electric circuit, such as a transformer or induction coil, in which a current is induced by a changing current in a neighbouring coila secondary coil
(of a current) flowing in such a circuitCompare primary (def. 7)

(of an industry) involving the manufacture of goods from raw materials Compare primary (def. 8b), tertiary (def. 2)

geology (of minerals) formed by the alteration of pre-existing minerals

chem

(of an organic compound) having a functional group attached to a carbon atom that is attached to one hydrogen atom and two other groups
(of an amine) having only two organic groups attached to a nitrogen atom; containing the group NH
(of a salt) derived from a tribasic acid by replacement of two acidic hydrogen atoms with metal atoms or electropositive groups

linguistics

derived from a word that is itself a derivation from another word. Thus, lovably comes from lovable and is a secondary derivative from love
(of a tense in Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit) another word for historic (def. 3)

noun plural -aries

a person or thing that is secondary

a subordinate, deputy, or inferior

a secondary coil, winding, inductance, or current in an electric circuit

ornithol any of the flight feathers that grow from the ulna of a bird's wing See primary (def. 6)

astronomy a celestial body that orbits around a specified primary body the moon is the secondary of the earth

med a cancerous growth in some part of the body away from the site of the original tumour

American football

the secondary cornerbacks and safeties collectively
their area in the field

short for secondary colour

Derived forms of secondary

secondarily, adverb secondariness, noun

Medical definitions for secondary

secondary

[ sĕk′ən-dĕr′ē ]

adj.

Of the second rank; not primary.

Inferior.

Minor; lesser.

Derived from what is primary or original.

Of or relating to a chemical compound characterized or formed by replacement of two atoms or radicals within a molecule.

Of, relating to, or being a degree of health care intermediate between that offered in a physician's office and that available at a research hospital, as the care typically offered at a clinic or community hospital.

Other words from secondary

sec′ond•ar′i•ly (-dâr′ə-lē) adv.

Scientific definitions for secondary

secondary

[ sĕk′ən-dĕr′ē ]

Relating to a secondary color.

Relating to or derived from either of the lateral meristems (the cork cambium or the vascular cambium) of vascular plants. For example, secondary xylem in a stem is produced by the vascular cambium, as opposed to primary xylem produced by the apical meristem during the original growth of the stem from a seedling. See also secondary growth.

Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to two other carbon atoms in a molecule.
Relating to an organic molecule, such as an alcohol, in which the functional group is attached to a secondary carbon.

Relating to a medical condition that arises as a result of another disorder, disease process, or injury. Compare primary tertiary.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

secondary

adjective

noun, plural sec·ond·ar·ies.

Origin of secondary

SYNONYMS FOR secondary

OTHER WORDS FROM secondary

Words nearby secondary

Example sentences from the Web for secondary

British Dictionary definitions for secondary

adjective

noun plural -aries

Derived forms of secondary

Medical definitions for secondary

adj.

Other words from secondary

Scientific definitions for secondary

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

secondary

adjective

noun, plural sec·ond·ar·ies.

Origin of secondary

SYNONYMS FOR secondary

OTHER WORDS FROM secondary

Words nearby secondary

Content related to secondary

Words related to secondary

Example sentences from the Web for secondary

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for secondary

adjective

noun plural -aries

Derived forms of secondary

Medical definitions for secondary

adj.

Other words from secondary

Scientific definitions for secondary

British Dictionary definitions for secondary