Coming, occurring, or remaining after the correct, usual, or expected time; delayed: The bus is late. See Synonyms at tardy.
Beginning after or continuing past the usual or expected hour: a late breakfast; a late meeting.
Occurring at an advanced hour, especially well into the evening or night: a late movie on television; the late flight to Denver.
Having begun or occurred just previous to the present time; recent: a late development.
Contemporary; up-to-date: the latest fashion.
Having recently occupied a position or place: the company's late president gave the address.
Dead, especially if only recently deceased: in memory of the late explorer.
Of or toward the end or more advanced part, as of a period or stage: the late 19th century; a later symptom of the disease.
Having begun or occurred just previous to the present time; recent: a late development.
Contemporary; up-to-date: the latest fashion.
Having recently occupied a position or place: the company's late president gave the address.
Dead, especially if only recently deceased: in memory of the late explorer.
Having recently occupied a position or place: the company's late president gave the address.
Dead, especially if only recently deceased: in memory of the late explorer.
adv.
later, latest
After the expected, usual, or proper time: a train that arrived late; woke late and had to skip breakfast.
At or until an advanced hour: talked late into the evening.
At or into an advanced period or stage: a project undertaken late in her career.
Recently: As late as last week he was still in town.
[Middle English, from Old English læt; see lē- in Indo-European roots.]
late'ness n.
Usage Note: It is technically correct to use a phrase such as our late treasurer to refer to a person who is still alive but who no longer holds the relevant post, but the use of former in this context will ensure that no embarrassing misunderstanding is created.
O.E. læt "occurring after the customary or expected time," originally "slow, sluggish," from P.Gmc. *latas (cf. O.N. latr "sluggish, lazy," M.Du., O.S. lat, Ger. laß "idle, weary," Goth. lats "weary, sluggish, lazy," latjan "to hinder"), from PIE base *lad- "slow, weary" (cf. L. lassus "faint, weary, languid, exhausted," Gk. ledein "to be weary"). The sense of "deceased" (as in the late Mrs. Smith) is from 1490, from an adv. sense of "recently." Of women's menstrual periods, attested colloquially from 1962. Later "farewell" attested from 1954 in U.S. slang, short for see you later.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time; "late evening"; "late 18th century"; "a late movie"; "took a late flight"; "had a late breakfast" [ant: early, middle]
2.
after the expected or usual time; delayed; "a belated birthday card"; "I'm late for the plane"; "the train is late"; "tardy children are sent to the principal"; "always tardy in making dental appointments" [syn: belated]
3.
of the immediate past or just previous to the present time; "a late development"; "their late quarrel"; "his recent trip to Africa"; "in recent months"; "a recent issue of the journal"
4.
having died recently; "her late husband"
5.
of a later stage in the development of a language or literature; used especially of dead languages; "Late Greek" [ant: early, middle]
6.
at or toward an end or late period or stage of development; "the late phase of feudalism"; "a later symptom of the disease"; "later medical science could have saved the child" [ant: early]
7.
(used especially of persons) of the immediate past; "the former president"; "our late President is still very active"; "the previous occupant of the White House" [syn: former]
adverb
1.
later than usual or than expected; "the train arrived late"; "we awoke late"; "the children came late to school"; "notice came so tardily that we almost missed the deadline"; "I belatedly wished her a happy birthday" [ant: ahead of time]
2.
to an advanced time; "deep into the night"; "talked late into the evening" [syn: deep]
3.
at an advanced age or stage; "she married late"; "undertook the project late in her career"
4.
in the recent past; "he was in Paris recently"; "lately the rules have been enforced"; "as late as yesterday she was fine"; "feeling better of late"; "the spelling was first affected, but latterly the meaning also" [syn: recently]
A*las"\, interj. [OE. alas, allas, OF. alas, F. h['e]las; a interj. (L. ah.) + las wretched (that I am), L. lassus weary, akin to E. late. See Late.] An exclamation expressive of sorrow, pity, or apprehension of evil; -- in old writers, sometimes followed by day or white; alas the day, like alack a day, or alas the white.
Ear"ly\, a. [Compar. Earlier ([~e]r"l[i^]*[~e]r); superl. Earliest.] [OE. earlich. [root]204. See Early, adv.]1. In advance of the usual or appointed time; in good season; prior in time; among or near the first; -- opposed to late; as, the early bird; an early spring; early fruit. Early and provident fear is the mother of safety. --Burke. The doorsteps and threshold with the early grass springing up about them. --Hawthorne. 2. Coming in the first part of a period of time, or among the first of successive acts, events, etc. Seen in life's early morning sky. --Keble. The forms of its earlier manhood. --Longfellow. The earliest poem he composed was in his seventeenth summer. --J. C. Shairp. Early English (Philol.) See the Note under English. Early English architecture, the first of the pointed or Gothic styles used in England, succeeding the Norman style in the 12th and 13th centuries. Syn: Forward; timely; not late; seasonable.
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Audio Help [leyt] Pronunciation Key adjective, lat·er or lat·ter, lat·est or last, adverb lat·er, lat·est. 
