secondary
UK /ˈsɛkənd(ə)ɹɪ/ · US /ˈsɛkənˌdɛɹi/ adjective, noun
Forms secondaries
- adjective Next in order to the first or primary; of second place in origin, rank, etc.
- adjective Originating from a deputy or delegated person or body. “the work of secondary hands”
- adjective (organic chemistry) Derived from a parent compound by replacement of two atoms of hydrogen by organic radicals.
- adjective (geology) Produced by alteration or deposition subsequent to the formation of the original rock mass.
- adjective (geology) Developed by pressure or other causes. “secondary cleavage”
- adjective (anatomy) Pertaining to the second joint of the wing of a bird.
- adjective (medicine) Dependent or consequent upon another disease, or occurring in the second stage of a disease. “Bright's disease is often secondary to scarlet fever.”
- adjective Of less than primary importance. “a secondary issue”
- noun (ornithology) Any flight feather attached to the ulna (forearm) of a bird.
- noun (aviation) A radar return generated by the response of an aircraft's transponder to an interrogation signal broadcast by a radar installation, containing additional encoded identification and situational data not available from a simple primary return.
- noun (military) The second stage of a multistage thermonuclear weapon, which generates a fusion explosion when imploded as an indirect result of the fission explosion of the primary, and which, in a few extremely large weapons, itself implodes a fusion tertiary.
- noun (finance) An act of issuing more stock by an already publicly traded corporation.
- noun (American football, Canadian football) The defensive backs.
- noun (electronics) An inductive coil or loop that is magnetically powered by a primary in a transformer or similar.
- noun One who occupies a subordinate or auxiliary place; a delegate deputy. “the secondary, or undersheriff, of the city of London”
- noun (astronomy) A secondary circle.
Synonyms
associate secondary coil secondary winding junior-grade lower-ranking lowly petty subaltern
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English secundarie, from Latin secundārius (“of the second class or quality”), from secundus (whence the English second) + -ārius (whence the English suffix -ary), equivalent to second + -ary; compare the French secondaire, the Italian secondario, the Occitan secundari, the Portuguese secundario, and the Spanish secundario.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Suceeding next in order to the first; of second place, origin, rank, rank, etc.; not primary; subordinate; not of the first order or rate.
- adjective Acting by deputation or delegated authority; as, the work of secondary hands.
- noun One who occupies a subordinate, inferior, or auxiliary place; a delegate deputy; one who is second or next to the chief officer; as, the secondary, or undersheriff of the city of London.
- noun (a) A secondary circle.
Etymology [Cf. F. secondaire, L. secundaire. See Second, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “secondary”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details