seconde main

\sə.ɡɔ̃d mɛ̃\

/\sə.ɡɔ̃d mɛ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“seconde main” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dans un atelier de couture, poste succédant à celui de "petite main" et précédant celui de "première main".

Corpus desk

Index FR-seconde-main · seconde main · French

seconde main · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for seconde main
PropertyValue
Headwordseconde main
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\sə.ɡɔ̃d mɛ̃\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « seconde main » en français

seconde mainsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

seconde main is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \sə.ɡɔ̃d mɛ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

seconde main doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable French rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is seconde main, spelled S-E-C-O-N-D-E- -M-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dans un atelier de couture, poste succédant à celui de "petite main" et précédant celui de "première main".
  2. 2
    Objet ou information qui a eu au moins deux propriétaires.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how seconde main appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ce véhicule est une seconde main.
  2. Un fait curieux à noter, c’est que les prix exigés par les fabriques belges, pour certaines commandes, sont supérieurs à ceux auxquels des produits de même provenance sont achetés en seconde main à Smyrne ou Constantinople.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "seconde main"?
"seconde main" is spelled S-E-C-O-N-D-E- -M-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is \sə.ɡɔ̃d mɛ̃\.
What does "seconde main" mean?
As a noun, "seconde main" means: Dans un atelier de couture, poste succédant à celui de "petite main" et précédant celui de "première main".
How do you pronounce "seconde main"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "seconde main" is \sə.ɡɔ̃d mɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "seconde main" come from?
"seconde main" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list