Sekundärer

Sekundärer is a German adjective meaning secondary or of second order. It is used to describe something that is not primary, but follows in a sequence or serves secondary functions. The term derives from Latin secundarius, via French and German, and is related to the English word secondary. In German grammar, sekundär inflects like other adjectives, producing forms such as sekun­därer, sekundäre, or sekundäres depending on gender, number, and case, as in different determiner contexts.

In economics and social science, the term appears in compounds and phrases such as the Sekundärer Sektor, which refers to manufacturing, construction, and utilities, contrasted with the Primärer Sektor (agriculture and extraction) and the Tertiärer Sektor (services). In biology, the phrase sekun­däre Pflanzenstoffe denotes secondary metabolites produced by plants that are not essential for growth but have ecological or defensive roles, with examples including alkaloids and terpenoids. In medicine and clinical contexts, sekundäre Infektionen describe infections that occur during or after an initial illness, often due to opportunistic pathogens.

Usage notes: sekundär is typically declined like a standard German adjective. With a definite article, the ending for masculine singular is usually -e (der sekundäre Mann), while with an indefinite article it is -er (ein sekundärer Mann). In neuter singular it is sekundäres (das sekundäre Problem); feminine singular uses sekundäre (die sekundäre Pflanze); plural forms include sekundäre Sektoren (no article) or die sekundären Sektoren (with definite article).

See also: primär, tertiär; Sekundärsektor; Sekundäre Pflanzenstoffe.