sekundært

Sekundært is a term used in Danish and Norwegian to denote something that is secondary, following after the primary. As an adjective, sekundær agrees with gender and number (sekundær/sekundære). In many contexts, the adverbial form sekundært can be used to describe actions or distinctions made in a secondary manner or to indicate secondary importance. The word derives from the Latin secundarius, via French secondair(e), and has cognates in related Scandinavian languages and English.

Common uses of the term span several domains. In education, sekundær refers to the secondary level of schooling, positioned after the primary or elementary level within a national education system. In science and ecology, sekundær is used to describe processes, organisms, or phenomena that are not primary but arise as a consequence or in a subsequent stage—such as secondary metabolism, secondary succession after a disturbance, or secondary consumers in food chains. In economics and industry, sekundær sector or sekundær virksomhet denotes activities involved in manufacturing and construction, contrasted with the primary sector (extraction of raw materials) and the tertiary sector (services).

In research and literature, sekundær kilde or sekundærkilde denotes sources that interpret, analyze, or summarize primary sources rather than presenting original data. Such sources provide context, synthesis, or critique, and are distinct from primary data or eyewitness accounts.

Etymology and related terms: sekundært is related to the Latin secundarius and to analogous terms in other Nordic languages, all sharing the sense of “following after,” “second,” or “not primary.” Related concepts include primær (primary) and tertær (tertiary), used to classify order, importance, or stage across various fields.