| second | 1. Immediately following the first; next to the first in order of place or time; hence, occuring again; another; other. "And he slept and dreamed the second time." (Gen. Xli. 5) 2. Next to the first in value, power, excellence, dignity, or rank; secondary; subordinate; inferior. "May the day when we become the second people upon earth . . . Be the day of our utter extirpation." (Landor) 3. Being of the same kind as another that has preceded; another, like a protype; as, a second Cato; a second Troy; a second deluge. "A Daniel, still say I, a second Daniel!" (Shak) Second Adventist. See Adventist. Second cousin, the child of a cousin. Second-cut file. See File. Second distance, the House of Peers. Second girl, a female house-servant who does the lighter work, as chamber work or waiting on table. Second intention. See Intention. Second story, Story floor, in America, the second range of rooms from the street level. This, in England, is called the first floor, the one beneath being the ground floor. Second thought or thoughts, consideration of a matter following a first impulse or impression; reconsideration. "On second thoughts, gentlemen, I don't wish you had known him." (Dickens) Origin: F, fr. L. Secundus second, properly, following, fr. Sequi to follow. See Sue to follow, and cf. Secund. 1. One who, or that which, follows, or comes after; one next and inferior in place, time, rank, importance, excellence, or power. "Man an angel's second, nor his second long." (Young) 2. 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. "Being sure enough of seconds after the first onset." (Sir H. Wotton) 3. Aid; assistance; help. "Give second, and my love Is everlasting thine." (J. Fletcher) 4. An article of merchandise of a grade inferior to the best; especially, a coarse or inferior kind of flour. 5. [F. Seconde. See Second] The sixtieth part of a minute of time or of a minute of space, that is, the second regular subdivision of the degree; as, sound moves about 1,140 English feet in a second; five minutes and ten seconds north of this place. 6. In the duodecimal system of mensuration, the twelfth part of an inch or prime; a line. See Inch, and Prime. 7. The interval between any tone and the tone which is represented on the degree of the staff next above it. The second part in a concerted piece; often popularly applied to the alto. Second hand, the hand which marks the seconds on the dial of a watch or a clock. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| second cranial nerve | <anatomy, nerve> The optic nerve. The nerve carrying impulses for the sense of sight. Projection from the vertebrate retina to the midbrain. Embryologically, a CNS tract rather than a peripheral nerve. Popular experimental preparation for studies of regeneration of retino tectal projections in lower vertebrates and also for studies of glial cell lineage in CNS. Synonym: cranial nerve II. (18 Nov 1997) |
| second cuneiform bone | A bone of the distal row of the tarsus; it articulates with the medial and lateral cuneiform, navicular, and second metatarsal bones. Synonym: os cuneiforme intermedium, mesocuneiform, middle cuneiform bone, second cuneiform bone, wedge bone. (05 Mar 2000) |
| second degree A-V block | See: atrioventricular block. (05 Mar 2000) |
| second degree burn | A burn involving the epidermis and dermis and usually forming blisters that may be superficial, or by deep dermal necrosis, followed by epithelial regeneration extending from the skin appendages. Synonym: partial-thickness burn. (05 Mar 2000) |
| second finger | The second finger (the thumb being counted as the first). Synonym: digitus secundus, forefinger, index, second finger. (05 Mar 2000) |
| second gas effect | When a constant concentration of an anaesthetic like halothane is inspired, the increase in alveolar concentration is accelerated by concomitant administration of nitrous oxide, because alveolar uptake of the latter creates a potential subatmospheric intrapulmonary pressure that leads to increased tracheal inflow. (05 Mar 2000) |
| second growth | A second generation of timber of merchantable age. (05 Dec 1998) |
| second heart sound | The second sound heard on auscultation of the heart; signifies the beginning of diastole and is due to closure of the semilunar valves. Synonym: second sound. (05 Mar 2000) |
| second incisor | Second maxillary or mandibular permanent or deciduous tooth on either side of the midsagittal plane of the head. Synonym: lateral incisor. (05 Mar 2000) |
| second law of thermodynamics | <physics> All of the chemical and physical processes in a closed system tend to drive that system toward maximum entropy. Clausius statement: No device can operate in a cycle and allow heat to transfer from a colder body to a hotter body unless other compensating activities are taking place. Kelvin-Planck statement: no device can operate in a constant-temperature cycle and convert the heat it receives into work, unless other other compensating activities are taking place. (09 Oct 1997) |
| second line chemotherapy | <oncology> Chemotherapy given for a tumour which has already failed to respond to a first chemotherapy regimen (called first line). (16 Dec 1997) |
| second-look operation | Exploratory celiotomy within a year after apparently curative resection of intra-abdominal cancer, in patients with no sign or symptom of recurrence, to resect an occult tumour if present. (05 Mar 2000) |
| second meiotic division | The second of two consecutive divisions of the nucleus of an eukaryotic cell during the process of meiosis. It includes the following stages of meiosis: prophase II, metaphase II, anaphase II, and telophase II. (09 Oct 1997) |
| second messenger | <molecular biology> In many hormone sensitive systems the systemic hormone does not enter the target cell but binds to a receptor and indirectly affects the production of another molecule within the cell, this diffuses intracellularly to the target enzymes or intracellular receptor to produce the response. This intracellular mediator is called the second messenger. Examples include cyclic AMP, cyclic GMP, IP3 and diacylglycerol. (18 Nov 1997) |