Where does “secondly” come from?
Secondly derives from English second, via Middle French seconder and Latin secundo, from Latin secundus meaning "following," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European sequor and ḱóm.
secondly (English): In the second place
Definitions
- In the second place
Ancestry of “secondly”, step by step
| 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 |