—adj.
1 coming after or next below what is primary.
2 derived from or depending on or supplementing what is primary.
3 (of education, a school, etc.) for those who have had primary education, usu. from 11 to 18 years.
4 Electr. a (of a cell or battery) having a reversible chemical reaction and therefore able to store energy. b denoting a device using electromagnetic induction, esp. a transformer.
—n. (pl. -ies)
1 a secondary thing.
2 a secondary device or current.
Phrases and idioms:
secondary colour the result of mixing two primary colours. secondary feather a feather growing from the second joint of a bird's wing. secondary picketing the picketing of premises of a firm not otherwise involved in the dispute in question. secondary planet a satellite of a planet (cf. primary planet). secondary sexual characteristics those distinctive of one sex but not directly related to reproduction.
Derivatives:
secondarily adv. secondariness n.
Etymology: ME f. L secundarius (as SECOND(1))
Useful english dictionary. 2012.