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Definition of posterity - 4 dictionary results

pos⋅ter⋅i⋅ty

  [po-ster-i-tee]
Use posterity in a Sentence
–noun
1. succeeding or future generations collectively: Judgment of this age must be left to posterity.
2. all descendants of one person: His fortune was gradually dissipated by his posterity.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME posterite < L posteritās, n. deriv. of posterus coming after. See posterior, -ity
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pos·ter·i·ty   (pŏ-stěr'ĭ-tē)   
n.  

  1. Future generations: "Everything he writes is consigned to posterity" (Joyce Carol Oates).

  2. All of a person's descendants.


[Middle English posterite, from Old French, from Latin posteritās, from posterus, coming after; see posterior.]
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

posterity 
1387, from O.Fr. posterité, from L. posteritatem (nom. posteritas) "the condition of coming after," from posterus "coming after, subsequent," from post "after."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pos·ter·i·ty
Pronunciation: pä-'ster-&-tE
Function: noun
1 : all of the lineal descendants of a person
2 : all future generations
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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