Where does “secondhand” come from?
secondhand (English) comes from English second, from Middle French seconder, from Latin secundo, from Latin secundus, from Latin sequor, from Proto-Italic sekʷōr, from Proto-Indo-European sékʷetor, from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- — to follow; to see; to say.
secondhand (English): Not new; previously owned and used by another;...
Definitions
- Not new; previously owned and used by another;...
Ancestry of “secondhand”, step by step
secondhand traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English second
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | second | Number-two; following after the first one with... |
| 2 | Middle French | seconder | — |
| 3 | Latin | secundo | dative masculine singular of secundus; dative... |
| 4 | Latin | secundus | second, the ordinal number after prīmus and... |
| 5 | Latin | sequor | I follow, come or go after |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | sekʷōr | follow, come/go after |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sékʷetor | to be following |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sekʷ- | to follow; to see; to say |
via English Hand
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Hand | The part of the forelimb below the forearm or wrist in a human, and the corresponding part in many other animals |
| 2 | Middle English | hond | hand; Alternative form of hound |
| 3 | Old English | hand | A hand |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | handu | hand |
| 5 | Swedish | hand | A hand; A hand; the set of cards held by a player |
| 6 | Old Swedish | hand | A hand; A direction; A behalf |
| 7 | Old Norse | hǫnd | hand |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | handuz | hand |