Main Entry: sec·ond·ary

Pronunciation: \ˈsek-ən-ˌder-ē\

Function: adjective

1 : not first in order of occurrence or development: as a : dependent or consequent on another disease <secondary diabetes> <Bright's disease is often secondary to scarlet fever> b : occurring or being in the second stage <secondary symptoms of syphilis> c : occurring some time after the original injury <a secondary hemorrhage>
2 : characterized by or resulting from the substitution of two atoms or groups in a molecule <a secondary salt> ; especially : being, characterized by, or attached to a carbon atom having bonds to two other carbon atoms
3 : relating to or being the three-dimensional coiling of the polypeptide chain of a protein especially in the form of an alpha-helix—compare primary 4, tertiary 2c

—sec·ond·ari·ly \ˌsek-ən-ˈder-ə-lē\ adverb