秒表 (miǎo biǎo) literally means 'second-meter' — combining 秒 (miǎo), meaning 'second' (the unit of time), and 表 (biǎo), meaning 'watch' or 'meter'. It refers specifically to a stopwatch: a handheld or digital device used to measure precise intervals of time, especially short durations like athletic performances, lab experiments, or cooking steps. Unlike a regular watch, a 秒表 is designed for timing with start, stop, and reset functions.

This word is commonly used in sports, education, science, and daily life when accuracy matters — for example, timing a sprint or boiling an egg. It’s a neutral, standard term understood across all Chinese-speaking regions. While electronic devices often serve this function today, the word 秒表 remains the standard lexical term regardless of form (analog, digital, or app-based). It does not imply any particular brand or technology, only the function of measuring seconds precisely.