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of late

 - 4 dictionary results

late

  [leyt] adjective, lat⋅er or lat⋅ter, lat⋅est or last, adverb lat⋅er, lat⋅est.
Use of late in a Sentence
–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.
Cite This Source Link To of late
late   (lāt)   
adj.   lat·er, lat·est

  1. 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.

  3. 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

  1. 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.

  3. 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.
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Word Origin & History

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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

of late

Recently, lately, as in She's been very quiet of late; is something wrong? This idiom uses late as a noun instead of an adjective, a usage dating from about 1250. The idiom dates from the early 1400s.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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