secondhand
secondhand Lexical Profile
secondhand Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having had a previous owner; not new.
"She bought a reliable secondhand bicycle from a local repair shop."
Obtained, experienced, or derived from someone else rather than directly from the original source.
"The historian refused to rely on secondhand accounts and searched for original letters instead."
Dealing in used goods or previously owned items.
"We spent Saturday afternoon browsing through a quiet secondhand bookstore downtown."
• adverb
On a used or previously owned basis rather than new.
"They furnished most of their first apartment by buying tables and chairs secondhand."
Indirectly or through an intermediary rather than from personal observation or the original source.
"I only heard the news secondhand from a colleague who attended the meeting."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse the solid or hyphenated adjective 'secondhand' (meaning used or indirect) with the two-word noun phrase 'second hand', which refers to the hand on a clock or watch that marks the seconds.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the 15th century from the phrase 'at second hand', originally referring to information or goods passed from one person's hand to another's rather than obtained directly from the original source.