秒
Meanings
1
The basic unit of time; used in everyday timing, sports, and scientific contexts.
It will finish in 10 seconds.
He ran 100 meters in 11 seconds.
2
arc second; second of arc
A unit of angular measurement equal to 1/3600 of a degree. Used in astronomy, geodesy, and navigation.
See also: 秒角
The resolution of this telescope is 0.5 arc seconds.
Usage patterns
- 秒を争うto be a matter of seconds; extremely urgent
The surgery was a situation where every second counted.
- 〈数〉秒差で〈動詞〉by a margin of ... seconds
He won by a margin of 0.1 seconds.
- 秒単位で〈動詞〉on a per-second basis; down to the second
This system records time down to the second.
- 〈数〉秒かかるit takes ... seconds
It takes 3 seconds for this app to start up.
Expressions
- 秒でin an instant; in a flash; right away