msec
Meaning
a unit of time equal to one thousandth of a second
Structure
Usage
The processor's response time was measured in mere msec.
A camera with a shutter speed of one msec can freeze rapid motion.
The delay between the stimulus and the neural signal was only 50 msec.
Etymology
The term 'msec' is a modern scientific abbreviation, not a word formed through classical morphological processes. Its logic is purely notational, combining standardized metric and temporal abbreviations. The component 'm' derives from the metric prefix 'milli-', tracing back to Latin 'mille' for 'thousand', indicating a division by one thousand. The component 'sec' abbreviates 'second', a unit which entered English from Old French 'seconde', originating from the Latin phrase 'pars minuta secunda' (the second diminished part), referring to the next division of an hour after minutes. Thus, 'msec' literally and functionally denotes a 'thousandth part of a second'.
Analysis
The morpheme 'm' is an abbreviation for 'milli-', a prefix of Latin origin via French, meaning 'one thousandth'. The morpheme 'sec' is an abbreviation for 'second', a unit of time whose name originates from the Latin 'secunda', a feminine form of 'secundus' meaning 'following' or 'second in order'.