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sec

Etymology and origin of the English word sec

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Pronunciation

sec1 dry, of wine

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1863
Borrowed from
French sec
Ultimate origin
Latin (siccus)

Etymology

The wine term is borrowed from French sec (“dry”),[2][3][4][5] from Latin siccus (“dry”) (see sack and siccative).[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of champagne and other wines, dry, not sweet: 1863.[6][2][4] The SOED records it in Middle English, but rarely between then and the mid-19th century.[7]

Semantic evolution

In practice a champagne labelled sec is of medium sweetness, sweeter than brut.[8] Compounds such as demi-sec and extra sec grade the dryness.[7] The OED also notes figurative use.[6] Etymonline notes that French sec is recorded from the 10th century.[4]

Timeline

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of wine, dry; of champagne, medium sweet.

sec2 second

Confidence
Established
Formation
Clipping
First attested
late 19th century

Etymology

The clipped form is a shortening of second, a unit of time.[4][8][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

A second of time, as a colloquial or written shortening: late 19th century in the SOED;[7] Etymonline records it by 1956 as a printed form of the spoken clipping.[4]

Semantic evolution

It is chiefly informal speech, as in wait a sec or just a sec.[8][7] The written abbreviation sec. also stands for seconds.[7]

Timeline

  • late 19th century – a second of time.[7]
  • 1956 – in print as a spoken clipping.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (informal) A second; a moment: wait a sec.
  • second
  • demi-sec
  • brut
  • siccative
  • desiccate

Usage notes

As a written abbreviation sec is also secant in mathematics (mid-18th century),[7][8] and secretary, section or sector.[8]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Sec.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/sec. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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