second

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A unit of time equal to one sixtieth of a minute.
2. n. The time needed for a cesium-133 atom to perform 9,192,631,770 complete oscillations. See Table at measurement.
3. n. A brief interval of time; a moment. See Synonyms at moment.
4. n. Mathematics A unit of angular measure equal to one sixtieth of a minute.
5. adj. Coming next after the first in order, place, rank, time, or quality.
6. adj. Repeating an initial instance: a second chance.
7. adj. Reminiscent of one that is well known: a second George Washington; a second Waterloo.
8. adj. Alternate; other: every second year.
9. adj. Inferior to another; subordinate: second vice president at the bank; a leader second to none.
10. adj. Music Having a lower pitch.
11. adj. Music Singing or playing a part having a lower range.
12. adj. Having the second-highest ratio. Used of gears in a sequence.
13. n. The ordinal number matching the number 2 in a series.
14. n. One of two equal parts.
15. n. One that is next in order, place, time, or quality after the first.
16. n. An article of merchandise of inferior quality. Often used in the plural.
17. n. The official attendant of a contestant in a duel or boxing match. See Synonyms at assistant.
18. n. Music The interval between consecutive tones on the diatonic scale.
19. n. Music A tone separated by this interval from another tone.
20. n. Music A combination of two such tones in notation or in harmony.
21. n. Music The second part, instrument, or voice in a harmonized composition.
22. n. An utterance of endorsement, as to a parliamentary motion.
23. n. The transmission gear or gear ratio used to produce forward speeds higher than those of first and lower than those of third in a motor vehicle.
24. n. Informal A second serving of food.
25. n. Baseball Second base.
26. v. To attend (a duelist or a boxer) as an aide or assistant.
27. v. To promote or encourage; reinforce.
28. v. To endorse (a motion or nomination) as a required preliminary to discussion or vote.
29. v. Chiefly British To transfer (a military officer, for example) temporarily.
30. adv. In the second order, place, or rank: finished second.
31. adv. But for one other; save one: the second highest peak.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. Next after the first in order, place, time, rank, value, quality, etc.: an ordinal numeral: as, the second day of the month; the second volume of a book; the second auditor of the treasury; the second table of the law.
2. Secondary; not primary; subordinate; in music, lower in pitch, or rendering a part lower in pitch: as, second fiddle; second soprano.
3. Other; another: as, a second Daniel; his second self.
4. Favorable; helpful; aiding or disposed to aid.
5. In mathematics, noting a function derived from the performance of the same operation twice in succession: thus, the second difference is the difference of the difference; so second differentials, derivatives, differential coefficients, etc.
6. In the two-handed sword, or spadone, a pair of hooks or projections slightly curved toward the point. forged with the blade itself, and separating the heel from the sharpened part of the blade. See spadone.
7. In rapiers of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the outer defense beyond the Cross-guard, formed of a ring surrounding the blade, a cross, pair of shells, or the like.
8. n. The one next after the first in order, place, time, rank, value, quality, or importance; that one of any two considered relatively which follows or comes immediately after the other.
9. n. In music:
10. n. A tone on the next or second diatonic degree above or below a given tone; the next tone in a diatonic series.
11. n. The interval between any tone and a tone on the next degree above or below.
12. n. The harmonic combination of two tones at the interval thus described.
13. n. In a scale, the second tone from the bottom: solmizated re. The typical interval of the second is that between the first and second tones of the major scale, which is acoustically represented by the ratio 8:9. Such a second is called major, and also the greater or acute major second, to distinguish it from the second between the second and third tones of the scale, whose ratio is 9:10, and which is called the less or grave major second. Both of these contain two half-steps. A second a half-step shorter than the above is called minor; and one a half-step longer is called augmented. All kinds of seconds are classed as dissonances. Both varieties of major second are also called whole steps, whole tones, or simply tones; and a minor second is also called a half-step or semitone. See interval.
14. n. A second voice or instrument—that is, one whose part is subordinate to or lower than another of the same kind; specifically, a second violin or second soprano; popularly, an alto.
15. n. Same as secondo.
16. n. pl, That which is of second grade or quality; hence, any inferior or baser matter.
17. n. Specifically.
18. n. A coarse kind of fiour, or the bread made from it.
19. n. Acetic acid made from acetate of lime.
20. n. In base-ball, same as second base. See baseball.
21. n. Another; another person; an inferior.
22. n. One who assists and supports another; specifically, one who attends a principal in a duel or a pugilistic encounter, to advise or aid him, and see that all proceedings between the combatants are fair, and in accordance with the rules laid down for the duel or the prizering.
23. n. Aid; help; assistance.
24. To follow up; supplement.
25. To support; aid; forward; promote; back, or back up; specifically, to assist in a duel.
26. In music, to sing second to.
27. In legislative and deliberative bodies, public meetings, etc., formally to express approval and support of (a motion, amendment, or proposal), as a preliminary to further discussion or to formal adoption.
28. In the British Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers, to put into temporary retirement, as an officer when he accepts civil employment under the crown. He is seconded after six months of such employment—that is, he loses military pay, but retains his rank, seniority, etc., in his corps. After being seconded for ten years, he must elect to return to military duty or to retire altogether.
29. n. The sixtieth part of a minute. The sixtieth part of a minute of time—that is, the second division, next to the hour; hence, loosely, a very short time.

Wiktionary

1. adj. The ordinal number corresponding to the cardinal number two.
2. adj. Number-two; following immediately after the first one.
3. adj. That which comes after the first.
4. n. usually in the plural A manufactured item that, though still usable, fails to meet quality control standards.
5. n. usually in the plural An additional helping of food.
6. n. Another chance to achieve what should have been done the first time, usually indicating success this time around. (See second-guess.)
7. n. music The interval between two adjacent notes in a diatonic scale (either or both of them may be raised or lowered from the basic scale via any type of accidental).
8. n. The second gear of an engine.
9. n. baseball Second base.
10. n. historical A dueller's assistant.
11. n. The SI unit of time, defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of caesium-133 in a ground state at a temperature of absolute zero and at rest; one-sixtieth of a minute.
12. n. A unit of angle equal to one-sixtieth of a minute of arc or one part in 3600 of a degree.
13. n. A short, indeterminate amount of time.
14. v. transitive, UK Transfer temporarily to alternative employment.
15. v. transitive To assist.
16. v. transitive To agree as a second person to (a proposal), usually to reach a necessary quorum of two.
17. n. The attendant of a contestant in a duel or boxing match, who must be ready to take over if the contestant drops out. In the case of a duel, the seconds may also fight each other at 90° to the other contestants.
18. n. One who agrees in addition, or such a motion, as required in certain meetings to pass judgement etc.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Immediately following the first; next to the first in order of place or time; hence, occurring again; another; other.
2. adj. Next to the first in value, power, excellence, dignity, or rank; secondary; subordinate; inferior.
3. adj. Being of the same kind as another that has preceded; another, like a prototype.
4. n. One who, or that which, follows, or comes after; one next and inferior in place, time, rank, importance, excellence, or power.
5. n. One who follows or attends another for his support and aid; a backer; an assistant; specifically, one who acts as another's aid in a duel.
6. n. obsolete Aid; assistance; help.
7. n. An article of merchandise of a grade inferior to the best; esp., a coarse or inferior kind of flour.
8. n. The sixtieth part of a minute of time or of a minute of space, that is, the second regular subdivision of the degree
9. n. In the duodecimal system of mensuration, the twelfth part of an inch or prime; a line. See Inch, and Prime, n., 8.
10. n. The interval between any tone and the tone which is represented on the degree of the staff next above it.
11. n. The second part in a concerted piece; -- often popularly applied to the alto.
12. n. (Parliamentary Procedure) A motion in support of another motion which has been moved in a deliberative body.
13. v. rare To follow in the next place; to succeed; to alternate.
14. v. To follow or attend for the purpose of assisting; to support; to back; to act as the second of; to assist; to forward; to encourage.
15. v. (Parliamentary Procedure) to support, as a motion{6} or proposal, by adding one's voice to that of the mover or proposer.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. a part or voice or instrument or orchestra section lower in pitch than or subordinate to the first
2. n. a speech seconding a motion
3. v. transfer an employee to a different, temporary assignment
4. n. 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
5. adv. in the second place
6. adj. coming next after the first in position in space or time or degree or magnitude
7. n. the official attendant of a contestant in a duel or boxing match
8. n. following the first in an ordering or series
9. v. give support or one's approval to
10. n. the gear that has the second lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle
11. n. a particular point in time
12. n. merchandise that has imperfections; usually sold at a reduced price without the brand name
13. n. a 60th part of a minute of arc
14. n. the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed near the second of the bases in the infield
15. n. an indefinitely short time