The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day, first into hours, then into minutes, and lastly into seconds, for a total of 24 × 60 × 60 = 86 400 seconds per day. That definition, based on 1⁄86400 of a rotation of the Earth, is still used by the Universal Time 1 (UT1) system.

1. In the second order, place, or rank: finished second. 2. But for one other; save one: the second highest peak.

SECOND definition: 1. immediately after the first and before any others: 2. the position in which a person finishes a…. Learn more.

A second may be one-sixtieth of a minute or the item after first. If you ask whether you're second in line, the hostess might reply, "Give me a second and I'll tell you." Different meanings of the word second have evolved from the same background, which is the Latin word secundus, which means "next" or "following."

Seconds (s) Unit Definition The second is a unit of time in the International System of Units (SI) defined in relation to a day as 1/86400 of a day. This is derived from the division of a day into 24 hours (hr) then 60 minutes (min) per hour and then 60 seconds per minute (24 hr × 60 min × 60 s = 86400 s).

SECOND definition: next after the first; being the ordinal number for two. See examples of second used in a sentence.