»deuteragonist

The descriptive literary phrase deuteragonist, ˌd(y)oōtəˈragənist, comes from the Greek δευτεραγωνιστης, deuteragonistes, "second actor". Clearly, the deuteragonist falls in importance between the protagonist and the tritagonist in order of importance in a dramatic work; the term also describes the number of lines a character spoke to the audience during the three-actor presentations typical of plays at Attic festivals.

I came across the word in a description of Jacopo Belbo's character in Foucault's Pendulum. It makes perfect sense, but I had never before seen it. A similarly logical word, Deuteronomy, took on almost mystical meaning when pronounced by a particular member of the faculty. He would emphasize that it described the second presentation of the law, and waggle his preternaturally long, tobacco-stained index fingers to indicate "second".