second-century
UK[ˈsɛkənd ˈsɛnʧəri]US[ˈsɛkənd ˈsɛnʧəri]
adj
Relating to or occurring in the period from the year 101 to the year 200 AD.
Morpheme Breakdown
second
century
second
ordinal number
century
period of 100 years
Etymology
The compound adjective "second-century" is a modern English formation that combines two elements of Latin origin to precisely denote a specific historical period. The word "second" originates from the Latin secundus, meaning "following" or "next," derived from the verb sequi (to follow), which itself traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root sekw- (to follow). "Century" comes from Latin centuria, a military and administrative term for a division of one hundred, based on centum (hundred), from the PIE root dekm̥ (ten, used in forming decimal-based numbers like one hundred). The logical combination of these morphemes creates a clear, chronological descriptor: the "following" hundred-year period after the first, used specifically to reference the years 101-200 AD in historical and archaeological contexts.
Analysis
Structure: second (ordinal number) + century (period of 100 years)
- second: From Latin secundus (following, next), from sequi (to follow). Functions as an ordinal number.
- century: From Latin centuria (a group of one hundred), from centum (hundred). Functions as a noun denoting a period of time.
Examples
The excavation revealed a well-preserved second-century Roman villa.
Many second-century Christian texts were written in Greek.
The historian specializes in trade routes of the second-century Silk Road.