Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

latter

 [lat-er]   Origin

lat·ter

   [lat-er]
adjective
1.
being the second mentioned of two (distinguished from former): I prefer the latter offer to the former one.
2.
more advanced in time; later: in these latter days of human progress.
3.
near or comparatively near to the end: the latter part of the century.
4.
Obsolete. last; final.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English latt(e)re, Old English lætra, comparative of læt late

Can be confused: 1. former, later, latter; 2. ladder, latter.

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Latter is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Dictionary.com Unabridged

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.
EXPAND
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.
COLLAPSE
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, especially 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:
before 900; Middle English; Old English læt slow, late; cognate with German lass slothful, Old Norse latr, Gothic lats slow, lazy, Latin lassus tired

Related forms
late·ness, noun
o·ver·late, adjective
o·ver·late·ness, noun

Can be confused: former, later, latter.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To latter
Collins
World English Dictionary
latter (ˈlætə)
 
—adj
1.  a.  denoting the second or second mentioned of two: distinguished from former
 b.  (as noun; functioning as sing or plural): the latter is not important
2.  near or nearer the end: the latter part of a film
3.  more advanced in time or sequence; later
 
usage  The latter should only be used to refer to the second of two items: many people choose to go by hovercraft rather than use the ferry, but I prefer the latter. The last of three or more items can be referred to as the last-named

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

late
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,
EXPAND
weary, languid, exhausted," Gk. ledein "to be weary"). The sense of "deceased" (as in the late Mrs. Smith) is from late 15c., from an adv. sense of "recently." Of women's menstrual periods, attested colloquially from 1962. Related: Lately; lateness.

latter
O.E. lætra "slower," comp. of læt "late" (see late (adj.)). Sense of "second of two" first recorded 1550s. The modern later is a formation from mid-15c. Related: Latterly.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT