intersecond
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From inter- + second. A recent coinage; see usage notes.
Adjective[edit]
intersecond (not comparable)
- (nonstandard) Between the members of the second pair of specified things (such as premolars or molars).
- 2015, Marcio Rodrigues de Almeida et al., “Dentoalveolar mandibular changes with self-ligating versus conventional bracket systems: A CBCT and dental cast study”, in Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics[1], volume 20, :
- As for intersecond premolar distances, there was an increase of 2.10 mm for SLB and 1.75 mm for CLB; however, this increase was similar for both groups.
Usage notes[edit]
The adjectives interfirst and intersecond in reference to teeth (premolars or molars) are rarely used nonstandard forms born of editorial errors. They arise from compound constructions such as /inter + first molar + distance/ (the distance between the first molars in a given dental arch) that undergo a copyeditorial error in which a general rule to remove unnecessary hyphens from prefixes that don't need them is misapplied to a term where multiple hyphens or an en dash should have been used: either inter-first-molar distance (two hyphens) or inter–first molar distance (one en dash).