late definition | Dictionary.com

late

[leyt]

adjective, lat⋅er or lat⋅ter, lat⋅est or last, adverb lat⋅er, lat⋅est.

–adjective

1.	occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time: late frosts; a late spring.

2.	continued until after the usual time or hour; protracted: a late business meeting.

3.	near or at the end of day or well into the night: a late hour.

4.	belonging to the time just before the present moment; most recent: a late news bulletin.

5.	immediately preceding the present one; former: the late attorney general.

6.	recently deceased: the late Mr. Phipps.

7.	occurring at an advanced stage in life: a late marriage.

8.	belonging to an advanced period or stage in the history or development of something: the late phase of feudalism.

–adverb

9.	after the usual or proper time, or after delay: to arrive late.

10.	until after the usual time or hour; until an advanced hour, esp. of the night: to work late.

11.	at or to an advanced time, period, or stage: The flowers keep their blossoms late in warm climates.

12.	recently but no longer: a man late of Chicago, now living in Philadelphia.

—Idiom

13.	of late, lately; recently: The days have been getting warmer of late.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE læt slow, late; c. G lass slothful, ON latr, Goth lats slow, lazy, L lassus tired

Related forms:

lateness, noun

Synonyms:
1. tardy; slow, dilatory; delayed, belated. 4. See modern.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To late

late (lāt)

adj. lat·er, lat·est

Coming, occurring, or remaining after the correct, usual, or expected time; delayed: The bus is late. See Synonyms at tardy.
1. Beginning after or continuing past the usual or expected hour: a late breakfast; a late meeting.
2. Occurring at an advanced hour, especially well into the evening or night: a late movie on television; the late flight to Denver.
3. Having begun or occurred just previous to the present time; recent: a late development.
4. Contemporary; up-to-date: the latest fashion.
5. Having recently occupied a position or place: the company's late president gave the address.
6. 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.
1. Having begun or occurred just previous to the present time; recent: a late development.
2. Contemporary; up-to-date: the latest fashion.
3. Having recently occupied a position or place: the company's late president gave the address.
4. Dead, especially if only recently deceased: in memory of the late explorer.
1. Having recently occupied a position or place: the company's late president gave the address.
2. 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.
1. At or until an advanced hour: talked late into the evening.
2. 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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Late

Late\, a. [Compar. Later, or latter; superl. Latest.] [OE. lat slow, slack, AS. l[ae]t; akin to OS. lat, D. laat late, G. lass weary, lazy, slack, Icel. latr, Sw. lat, Dan. lad, Goth. lats, and to E. let, v. See Let to permit, and cf. Alas, Lassitude.]

1. Coming after the time when due, or after the usual or proper time; not early; slow; tardy; long delayed; as, a late spring.

2. Far advanced toward the end or close; as, a late hour of the day; a late period of life.

3. Existing or holding some position not long ago, but not now; lately deceased, departed, or gone out of office; as, the late bishop of London; the late administration.

4. Not long past; happening not long ago; recent; as, the late rains; we have received late intelligence.

5. Continuing or doing until an advanced hour of the night; as, late revels; a late watcher.

Late

Late\, adv. [AS. late. See Late, a.]

1. After the usual or proper time, or the time appointed; after delay; as, he arrived late; -- opposed to early.

2. Not long ago; lately.

3. Far in the night, day, week, or other particular period; as, to lie abed late; to sit up late at night.

Of late, in time not long past, or near the present; lately; as, the practice is of late uncommon.

Too late, after the proper or available time; when the time or opportunity is past.

Language Translation for : late

Spanish: tarde, atrasado,

German: spät,

Japanese: 遅れた

More Translations »

late (adj.)

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.

late

In addition to the idioms beginning with late, also see at the latest; better late than never; Johnny-come-lately; keep late hours; of late; the latest; too little, too late. Also see under later.

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