6. (Med.) (a) Dependent or consequent upon another disease; as,
Bright's disease is often secondary to scarlet fever. (b) Occurring in
the second stage of a disease; as, the secondary symptoms of syphilis.
Secondary accent. See the Note under Accent, n., 1. -- Secondary age.
(Geol.) The Mesozoic age, or age before the Tertiary. See Mesozoic, and
Note under Age, n., 8. -- Secondary alcohol (Chem.), any one of a
series of alcohols which contain the radical CH.OH united with two
hydrocarbon radicals. On oxidation the secondary alcohols form ketones.
-- Secondary amputation (Surg.), an amputation for injury, performed
after the constitutional effects of the injury have subsided. --
Secondary axis (Opt.), any line which passes through the optical center
of a lens but not through the centers of curvature, or, in the case of
a mirror, which passes through the center of curvature but not through
the center of the mirror. -- Secondary battery. (Elec.) See under
Battery, n., 4. -- Secondary circle (Geom. & Astron.), a great circle
that passes through the poles of another great circle and is therefore
perpendicular to its plane. -- Secondary circuit, Secondary coil
(Elec.), a circuit or coil in which a current is produced by the
induction of a current in a neighboring circuit or coil called the
primary circuit or coil. -- Secondary color, a color formed by mixing
any two primary colors in equal proportions. -- Secondary coverts
(Zoöl.), the longer coverts which overlie the basal part of the
secondary quills of a bird. See Illust. under Bird. -- Secondary
crystal (Min.), a crystal derived from one of the primary forms. --
Secondary current (Elec.), a momentary current induced in a closed
circuit by a current of electricity passing through the same or a
contiguous circuit at the beginning and also at the end of the passage
of the primary current. -- Secondary evidence, that which is admitted
upon failure to obtain the primary or best evidence. -- Secondary fever
(Med.), a fever coming on in a disease after the subsidence of the
fever with which the disease began, as the fever which attends the
outbreak of the eruption in smallpox. -- Secondary hemorrhage (Med.),
hemorrhage occuring from a wounded blood vessel at some considerable
time after the original bleeding has ceased. -- Secondary planet.
(Astron.) See the Note under Planet. -- Secondary qualities, those
qualities of bodies which are not inseparable from them as such, but
are dependent for their development and intensity on the organism of
the percipient, such as color, taste, odor, etc. -- Secondary quills or
remiges (Zoöl.), the quill feathers arising from the forearm of a bird
and forming a row continuous with the primaries; -- called also
secondaries. See Illust. of Bird. -- Secondary rocks or strata (Geol.),
those lying between the Primary, or Paleozoic, and Tertiary (see
Primary rocks, under Primary); -- later restricted to strata of the
Mesozoic age, and at present but little used. -- Secondary syphilis
(Med.), the second stage of syphilis, including the period from the
first development of constitutional symptoms to the time when the bones
and the internal organs become involved. -- Secondary tint, any subdued
tint, as gray. -- Secondary union (Surg.), the union of wounds after
suppuration; union by the second intention.
Syn. -- Second; second-rate; subordinate; inferior.
Sec"ond*a*ry (?), n.; pl. Secondaries (&?;). 1. One who occupies a
subordinate, inferior, or auxiliary place; a delegate or deputy; one
who is second or next to the chief officer; as, the secondary, or
undersheriff of the city of London.
Old Escalus . . . is thy secondary.
Shak.