Where does “second” come from?

second (French) comes from Old French secunt, 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.

second (French): second; assistant, first mate

Definitions

  1. second; assistant, first mate

Ancestry of “second”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchsecunt—
2Latinsecundussecond, the ordinal number after prīmus and...
3LatinsequorI follow, come or go after
4Proto-Italicsekʷōrfollow, come/go after
5Proto-Indo-Europeansékʷetorto be following
6Proto-Indo-Europeansekʷ-to follow; to see; to say

Words derived from “second”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European sekʷ- →