The second
Example: Wait a second before you answer
Definition
"The second" is a noun phrase used to indicate the unit of time equal to one-sixtieth of a minute. It is commonly used to measure brief intervals, such as in the example phrase, 'Wait a second before you answer,' meaning to wait for a short moment.
Etymology
The phrase "the second" originates from the Latin term 'secunda minuta,' meaning 'the second minute,' where 'secunda' means 'following' or 'next.' It was adopted into English to denote the second division of time after the minute. Did you know that early timekeeping divided hours into minutes and seconds to improve accuracy?
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"The second" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - General - (A1) - set 1", containing 103 commonly used words.
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