Definition of "second-rate" in English

adjective

1. (UK, military, nautical, historical) Of a Royal Navy ship of the line in the Napoleonic Era: having 80–98 guns across three gun decks, a complement of 700–750, and weighing approximately 2,200 tons burthen.

2. (idiomatic) Of mediocre quality; not first-rate.

noun

1. (UK, military, nautical, historical) A second-rate ship of the line.