second reading
2
7.7
- noun
- Formal
:
segunda lectura
- The second reading of the proposed healthcare bill will take place next Wednesday.
Examples
-
The government increased its majority for reform by at least 70 MPs, which meant that the second reading of the reintroduced Reform Bill comfortably passed the Commons in early July.
Academic text (2010) -
Because Wednesday's vote was not unanimous, it must come back for a second reading next week.
Blog text (8) -
When they had finished the second reading, she asked them about the main idea.
Academic text (2015) -
On the second reading, the House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole to go through the bill.
Academic text (1996) -
The House went through both the first and second readings that same day, but then returned the bill to the Committee for revision.
Academic text (1996) -
During the second reading, lawmakers will discuss the main points before voting on the legislation.
-
The committee's report is scheduled for a second reading, allowing all members to express their opinions.
Antonyms
How Advanced
- Formal
12
6.8
- Formal
2
7.7
13
2.4
- Formal
3
6.2
81
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is partly compositional — 'second' + 'reading' can be understood as the second time something is read, which gives a general idea. However, the specific parliamentary sense (an institutional stage of considering and voting on a bill) is register-specific and not directly inferable from the everyday sense of 'reading', so a B1 learner who knows the words may still not grasp the full legislative meaning without exposure.
Etymology
The noun second reading comes from the old practice of reading a proposed law aloud a second time in meetings where people make laws. The words second and reading point to this second time, and because the bill was read again to explain its 'main ideas' or hear a committee report, second reading now means the second formal chance to 'discuss' or 'approve' a law.