second hand

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See also: second-hand and secondhand

English

Etymology 1

second (ordinal) + hand (“party”)

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌsɛkənd ˈhænd/
    • Audio (Southern England)(file)

Adjective

second hand (not comparable)

  1. Alternative form of secondhand
Usage notes
  • secondhand and second-hand may be preferred spellings for the adjective meaning "not new", to avoid confusion with the noun "second hand" referring to the hand of a clock or watch.
Related terms
Translations
secondhand — see secondhand

Noun

second hand (plural second hands)

  1. An intermediate person or means; intermediary.
    • 1826, Walter Scott, editor, Memoirs of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Dean of St Patrick's, Dublin‎, page 135:
      “My Lord Oxford, by a second hand, proposed my being his chaplain, which I, by a second hand, excused.
    • 1832, James Sheridan Knowles, The Magdalen, and other tales‎, page 3:
      Under certain circumstances there is always a danger in a young man's playing the benefactor towards the other sex, in his own person. A thousand times better do it by a second hand — engage the services of some kind aunt or female cousin.
Derived terms

Etymology 2

second (“unit of time”) + hand (“pointer”)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈsɛkənd ˌhænd/
    • Audio (Southern England)(file)

Noun

second hand (plural second hands)

  1. On a clock or watch, the hand or pointer that shows the number of seconds that have passed.
    Coordinate terms: minute hand, hour hand
    • 2018 April 17, Bryan Camp, The City of Lost Fortunes‎, Titan Books, →ISBN, →OCLC:
      ... the ticking of a second hand. Tick, tick, tick. The clock. Jude wrenched himself free of his gift's trance, surprised that there wasn't a tearing sound when his hand came free of the doubloon. The visions fell away, and he felt his ...
Translations

References

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pseudo-anglicism, derived from second-hand clothing.

Pronunciation

Noun

second hand m inan (related adjective secondhandowy)

  1. thrift shop (store that sells second-hand clothing)
    Synonyms: ciuchland, ciucholand, ciuszek, dziadownia, lump, lumpeks, szmaciak, szmateks

Declension

Declension of second hand
singular plural
nominative second hand second handy
genitive second handu second handów
dative second handowi second handom
accusative second hand second handy
instrumental second handem second handami
locative second handzie second handach
vocative second handzie second handy

Further reading

  • second hand in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • second hand in Polish dictionaries at PWN
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