seconder

English

Etymology

From second +‎ -er (measurement suffix) or +‎ -er (agent noun suffix).

Noun

seconder (plural seconders)

1. (in combination) Something that lasts or takes a specified number of seconds.
   • 2003, Constance Rhodes, Life Inside the “Thin” Cage: A Personal Look into the Hidden World of the Chronic Dieter, Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press, →ISBN, page 149:

     I'm a post-first-weight-gain-in-ten-years, post-obsessing-about-food-every-minute-of-every-day, and life is different. It really is. I still struggle sometimes, but I can honestly say that the tapes are no longer playing. Once in a while I hear a little “commercial,” a brief ten-seconder: Are you sure you don't want to lose a little weight? Wouldn't you rather skip that high-fat meal?

2. The person who makes a second to a motion in any formal procedure, such as a parliamentary procedure.

   He's been the seconder on many motions, but I don't think he's ever made a motion himself.

3. (scouting) A Cub Scout serving as a second-in-command to a sixer.

   Synonym: second

4. (climbing) A person who seconds; a person who climbs after the leader

Anagrams

• Cedrones, Creedons, censored, decensor, encoders, necrosed, seed corn, seedcorn

French

Etymology

From second +‎ -er, from Old French segonder.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sə.ɡɔ̃.de/

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

seconder

1. (transitive) to assist

   Elle surveillait d'un œil profondément attentif le travail sanglant du bistouri, sa main adroite (...) employant tour à tour, pour seconder l'opérateur, les éponges, les fils (...) les crochets. (Feuillet, Morte, 1886)

2. to help, ease

   Le principe protestant seconda d'abord l'essor scientifique et le développement industriel, en stimulant les efforts personnels et brisant des règles oppressives. (Comte, Catéchisme positiviste, 1852)

Conjugation

Conjugation of seconder (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	seconder
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	secondant /sə.ɡɔ̃.dɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		secondé /sə.ɡɔ̃.de/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	seconde /sə.ɡɔ̃d/	secondes /sə.ɡɔ̃d/	seconde /sə.ɡɔ̃d/	secondons /sə.ɡɔ̃.dɔ̃/	secondez /sə.ɡɔ̃.de/	secondent /sə.ɡɔ̃d/
	imperfect	secondais /sə.ɡɔ̃.dɛ/	secondais /sə.ɡɔ̃.dɛ/	secondait /sə.ɡɔ̃.dɛ/	secondions /sə.ɡɔ̃.djɔ̃/	secondiez /sə.ɡɔ̃.dje/	secondaient /sə.ɡɔ̃.dɛ/
	past historic2	secondai /sə.ɡɔ̃.de/	secondas /sə.ɡɔ̃.da/	seconda /sə.ɡɔ̃.da/	secondâmes /sə.ɡɔ̃.dam/	secondâtes /sə.ɡɔ̃.dat/	secondèrent /sə.ɡɔ̃.dɛʁ/
	future	seconderai /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁe/	seconderas /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁa/	secondera /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁa/	seconderons /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁɔ̃/	seconderez /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁe/	seconderont /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁɔ̃/
	conditional	seconderais /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁɛ/	seconderais /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁɛ/	seconderait /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁɛ/	seconderions /sə.ɡɔ̃.də.ʁjɔ̃/	seconderiez /sə.ɡɔ̃.də.ʁje/	seconderaient /sə.ɡɔ̃.dʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	seconde /sə.ɡɔ̃d/	secondes /sə.ɡɔ̃d/	seconde /sə.ɡɔ̃d/	secondions /sə.ɡɔ̃.djɔ̃/	secondiez /sə.ɡɔ̃.dje/	secondent /sə.ɡɔ̃d/
	imperfect2	secondasse /sə.ɡɔ̃.das/	secondasses /sə.ɡɔ̃.das/	secondât /sə.ɡɔ̃.da/	secondassions /sə.ɡɔ̃.da.sjɔ̃/	secondassiez /sə.ɡɔ̃.da.sje/	secondassent /sə.ɡɔ̃.das/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	seconde /sə.ɡɔ̃d/	—	secondons /sə.ɡɔ̃.dɔ̃/	secondez /sə.ɡɔ̃.de/	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Further reading

• “seconder”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• céderons, décornes, encordes