secondary: Meaning and Definition of

sec•ond•ar•y

Pronunciation: (sek'un-der"ē), [key]
— adj., n., pl. -ar•ies.
—adj.
  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. derived or derivative; not primary or original: secondary sources of historical research.
  4. of minor or lesser importance; subordinate; auxiliary.
  5. of or pertaining to secondary schools.
    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.
  6. 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.
  7. noting or pertaining to a mineral produced from another mineral by decay, alteration, or the like.
  8. a secondary derivative.
    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.Cf.primary(def. 13).
  9. pertaining to any of a set of flight feathers on the second segment of a bird's wing.
  10. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a secondary accent: secondary stress.
—n.
  1. a person or thing that is secondary.
  2. a subordinate, assistant, deputy, or agent.
  3. a winding in a transformer or the like in which a current is induced by a primary winding.
  4. a secondary feather.
  5. the defensive unit that lines up behind the linemen.
  6. See
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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