'second-hand' originates from the combination of 'second' and 'hand', where 'second' refers to the ordinal number following the first, and 'hand' refers to possession or ownership.

'second-hand' evolved from the Middle English term 'secunde hand', which was used to describe goods that were not new.

Initially, it meant 'not new or previously owned', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.