second class: Meaning and Definition of

sec'ond class'

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. the class of travel accommodations, as on a train, that are less costly and luxurious than first class but are more costly and luxurious than third class. Cf.
  2. (in the U.S. Postal Service) the class of mail consisting of newspapers and periodicals not sealed against postal inspection.
  3. the second of three honors degrees conferred by a British university.

sec•ond-class

Pronunciation: (sek'und-klas', -kläs'), [key]
— adj.
  1. of a secondary class or quality.
  2. second-rate; inferior.
—adv.
  1. by second-class mail or passenger accommodations: to travel second-class.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.