English Meaning & Definitions
A very brief, infinitesimal, or singular moment in time; used to emphasize the lack of delay or the absolute minimum duration.
- “I didn't waste a single second waiting for him to arrive.”
- “She knew in a single second that she had made the right decision.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “single second”.
The phrase combines 'single' (from Middle English 'synguler', derived from Latin 'singulus', meaning 'one each') and 'second' (from Latin 'secunda pars minuta', meaning 'the second small part' of an hour). The collocation emphasizes the extreme brevity of a moment by adding the intensifier 'single' to denote the smallest possible unit of time.
Think of a 'single second' as the blink of an eye—just one tiny beat of a clock.
Frequently Asked Questions About “single second”
1. What is the meaning of “single second” in English?
In English, single second (noun) is defined as: “A very brief, infinitesimal, or singular moment in time; used to emphasize the lack of delay or the absolute minimum duration.”.
2. How do you use “single second” in a sentence?
“I didn't waste a single second waiting for him to arrive.”
3. What are English synonyms of “single second”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “single second”?
The phrase combines 'single' (from Middle English 'synguler', derived from Latin 'singulus', meaning 'one each') and 'second' (from Latin 'secunda pars minuta', meaning 'the second small part' of an hour). The collocation emphasizes the extreme brevity of a moment by adding the intensifier 'single' to denote the smallest possible unit of time.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.