secondary

[sek-uh n-der-ee] /ˈsɛk ənˌdɛr i/
adjective
1.
next after the first in order, place, time, etc.
2.
belonging or pertaining to a second order, division, stage, period, rank, grade, etc.
3.
(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.
4.
of minor or lesser importance; subordinate; auxiliary.
5.
of or pertaining to secondary schools.
6.
Chemistry.
  1. involving or obtained by the replacement of two atoms or groups.
  2. noting or containing a carbon atom united to two other carbon atoms in a chain or ring molecule.
7.
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.
8.
Geology. noting or pertaining to a mineral produced from another mineral by decay, alteration, or the like.
9.
Grammar.
  1. derived.
  2. derived from a word that is itself a derived word:
    a secondary derivative.
  3. having reference to past time; noting or pertaining to a past tense:
    the Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit secondary tenses.
    Compare primary (def 13).
10.
Ornithology. pertaining to any of a set of flight feathers on the second segment of a bird's wing.
11.
Linguistics. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a secondary accent:
secondary stress.
noun, plural secondaries.
12.
a person or thing that is secondary.
13.
a subordinate, assistant, deputy, or agent.
14.
Electricity. a winding in a transformer or the like in which a current is induced by a primary winding.
15.
Ornithology. a secondary feather.
16.
Football. the defensive unit that lines up behind the linemen.
17.
Linguistics, secondary accent.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin secundārius. See second1, -ary
Related forms
secondarily
[sek-uh n-der-uh-lee, sek-uh n-dair-] /ˈsɛk ənˌdɛr ə li, ˌsɛk ənˈdɛər-/ (Show IPA), adverb
secondariness, noun
Synonyms
4. alternate, subsidiary, backup.
Examples from the web for secondary
  • secondary peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the tissue lining the abdominal cavity.
  • Only one in a thousand is educated beyond the secondary stage.
  • The fireflies all start as primary colors, and the frogs are all secondary and tertiary colors.
  • secondary systemic amyloidosis is a disorder in which abnormal proteins build up in tissues and organs.
  • Elementary and secondary education must do a better job.
  • They seem to be gnawing holes through the walls and sneaking in under our secondary coop.
  • secondary aplastic anemia is a failure of the bone marrow to make enough blood cells.
  • The secondary message occurred to me much later: the same must true of deer.
  • Stroke secondary to carotid stenosis occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked.
  • In other cases, they are on the hook because they have financed the purchasers of the loans in the secondary market.
British Dictionary definitions for secondary

secondary

/ˈsɛkəndərɪ; -drɪ/
adjective
1.
one grade or step after the first; not primary
2.
derived from or depending on what is primary, original, or first: a secondary source
3.
below the first in rank, importance, etc; not of major importance
4.
(prenominal) of or relating to the education of young people between the ages of 11 and 18: secondary education
5.
(of the flight feathers of a bird's wing) growing from the ulna
6.
  1. 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 coil: a secondary coil
  2. (of a current) flowing in such a circuit Compare primary (sense 7)
7.
(of an industry) involving the manufacture of goods from raw materials Compare primary (sense 8b), tertiary (sense 2)
8.
(geology) (of minerals) formed by the alteration of pre-existing minerals
9.
(chem)
  1. (of an organic compound) having a functional group attached to a carbon atom that is attached to one hydrogen atom and two other groups
  2. (of an amine) having only two organic groups attached to a nitrogen atom; containing the group NH
  3. (of a salt) derived from a tribasic acid by replacement of two acidic hydrogen atoms with metal atoms or electropositive groups
10.
(linguistics)
  1. derived from a word that is itself a derivation from another word. Thus, lovably comes from lovable and is a secondary derivative from love
  2. (of a tense in Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit) another word for historic (sense 3)
noun (pl) -aries
11.
a person or thing that is secondary
12.
a subordinate, deputy, or inferior
13.
a secondary coil, winding, inductance, or current in an electric circuit
14.
(ornithol) any of the flight feathers that grow from the ulna of a bird's wing See primary (sense 6)
15.
(astronomy) a celestial body that orbits around a specified primary body: the moon is the secondary of the earth
16.
(med) a cancerous growth in some part of the body away from the site of the original tumour
17.
(American football)
  1. the secondary, cornerbacks and safeties collectively
  2. their area in the field
18.
short for secondary colour
Derived Forms
secondarily, adverb
secondariness, noun
Word Origin and History for secondary
adj.

late 14c., from Latin secundarius "pertaining to the second class, inferior," from secundus (see second (adj.)). Of colors, from 1831; of education, from 1809. Of sex characteristics from 1780. Opposed to primary or principal. Related: Secondarily.

secondary in Medicine

secondary sec·ond·ar·y (sěk'ən-děr'ē)
adj.

  1. Of the second rank; not primary.

  2. Inferior.

  3. Minor; lesser.

  4. Derived from what is primary or original.

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

  6. 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.

sec'ond·ar'i·ly (-dâr'ə-lē) adv.
sec'ond·ar'i·ness n.
secondary in Science
secondary
(sěk'ən-děr'ē)

  1. Relating to a secondary color.

  2. 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.

    1. Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to two other carbon atoms in a molecule.

    2. Relating to an organic molecule, such as an alcohol, in which the functional group is attached to a secondary carbon.

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