Definition

1. Adverb:

   • From a source of previously owned goods: Indicates that an item is acquired after being owned and used by someone else, not new from the original retailer or manufacturer.

2. Noun:

   • Hand marking seconds on a timepiece: The pointer on a clock or watch that shows the progression of seconds.
   • An intermediate person; indirect means: A person who relays information or an item, or the indirect channel through which something is obtained, rather than directly from the original source.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:

  • She bought the sofa second hand. (She acquired the sofa after it had been owned and used by someone else.)
  • It's often cheaper to buy books second hand. (Books purchased from a previous owner are frequently less expensive.)

• Noun (timepiece):

  • The second hand on my watch moves smoothly. (The pointer indicating seconds on my watch has a continuous motion.)

• Noun (intermediate person/means):

  • I heard the news at second hand from a colleague. (I received the news indirectly, relayed by a colleague who heard it from the original source.)

Advanced Usage

• "at second hand": Received indirectly, not from the original source or firsthand experience.
  • His knowledge of the event was all at second hand. (His understanding of the event came entirely from reports by others, not from direct observation.)

Variants and Related Words

• Secondhand (Adjective): Describing an item that is not new because a previous owner has used it.
  • He owns a secondhand car. (He owns a car that was previously owned by someone else.)
• Second-hand (Adjective, alternative spelling): Functionally identical to "secondhand".
  • They run a second-hand bookshop. (They operate a shop selling previously owned books.)

Synonyms

• Adverb/Adjective (for goods): Used, pre-owned, hand-me-down.
• Noun (for information): Indirectly, vicariously.

Related Phrases

• Second-hand smoke: Smoke from a cigarette, cigar, or pipe that is involuntarily inhaled by someone not smoking.
  • The health risks of second-hand smoke are well documented.
• Second-hand embarrassment: Feelings of embarrassment experienced on behalf of another person.
  • I felt second-hand embarrassment watching his awkward speech.

Adverb

1. from a source of previously owned goods
   • I prefer to buy second hand

Noun

1. hand marking seconds on a timepiece
2. an intermediate person; used in the phrase `at second hand'
   • he could learn at second hand from books