1590s, from Latin secantem (nominative secans) "a cutting," present participle of secare "to cut" (from PIE root *sek- "to cut"). First used by Danish mathematician Thomas Fincke in "Geometria Rotundi" (1583).
sebaceous
Sebastian
seborrhea
sebum
sec
secant
secateurs
secede
secession
secessionist
seclude
