latteradj.adv.n.

Brit.

/ˈlatə/, U.S.

/ˈlædər/

Forms: Old English later (as adverb), Old English latera, Old English latur (as adverb), Old English lætera, Old English lætra, Old English lættra (rare), Old English–early Middle English lator (as adverb), late Old English–early Middle English læter (as adverb), early Middle English lættere, early Middle English leatere (south-west midlands), Middle English latere, Middle English latir, Middle English latre, Middle English lattere, Middle English lattir, Middle English lattire, Middle English lattor, Middle English lattre, Middle English lature (as adverb), Middle English leter (as adverb), Middle English lettur, Middle English–1500s letter, Middle English–1600s later, Middle English– latter, late Middle English latur, late Middle English latyr, late Middle English laytter; also Scottish pre-1700 later, pre-1700 latere, pre-1700 lathyre, pre-1700 latir, pre-1700 lattare, pre-1700 latter, pre-1700 lattere, pre-1700 lattir, pre-1700 lattire, pre-1700 lattre, pre-1700 lattyr, pre-1700 lattyre, pre-1700 latyr, pre-1700 lettar, pre-1700 letter, pre-1700 lettir, pre-1700 lettre, pre-1700 lettyr.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian letora , letera , lettera later, following, next, Middle Dutch lāter (adverb) later (Dutch later , adverb and adjective), Old Saxon latoro , latera lazier, slower, later (Middle Low German lāter , lēter ), Middle High German laȥȥer duller, more sluggish, tardier, Old Icelandic latari slower, lazier < the Germanic base of late adj.¹ + the Germanic base of -er suffix³. Compare later adv., adj., and int.Form history. In Old English lætra (adjective) the comparative suffix -ra immediately follows stem-final t . In the resulting consonant group, the plosive was sometimes geminated, giving lættra (compare forms of better adj., n.¹, and adv. and discussion at that entry). These forms are continued in Middle English forms like latre , lattre and (with epenthetic vowel) latere , lattere , latter with short stem vowel preserved originally in trisyllabic forms and in disyllabic forms before the consonant cluster. A divergent development of long ā by open syllable lengthening in uninflected lāter might have been expected for the comparative adverb (Old English lator ); however, the evidence suggests that Middle English later (and associated forms), whether adverb or adjective, usually had a short stem vowel, probably as a result of the influence of forms of the comparative adjective (compare discussion at later adv., adj., and int.). The spelling later continued to be used for latter as late as the 17th cent. (All examples of later earlier than 1500 have been regarded as showing latter adj., adv., and n., although it is conceivable that some (especially in senses A. 2a or B. 1) may rather belong as antedatings at later adv., adj., and int.) Specific forms. The early Middle English form leatere (in the so-called ‘AB language’ of the south-west midlands) perhaps reflects back mutation (after Second Fronting of a to æ ) in forms such as (unattested) Old English (Mercian) *leator , *leatost ; compare leate at late adj.¹ α. forms, leate at late adv. α. forms. The late Middle English form laytter (attested in the Cely Letters, a source known for the vagaries of its spelling) is clearly intended as a spelling of latter and bears no relationship with Older Scots laiter, laitter at later adv., adj., and int. Forms.

A. adj.

†1. Slower. Also: more reluctant, less inclined (to an action, etc.). Obsolete.In quot. c1275 the phrase to be the latter has been taken as ‘to be the less, to be the worse’, but ‘to be the slower’ fits the context (and explains the variant reading of the Otho MS) better.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > rate of motion > slowness > [adjective] > slower

latterOE

slowed-down1890

slowed-up1893

OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) iv. 10 Siþþan þu spræce to þynum þeowe ic hæfde þe lætran tungan [L. inpeditioris et tardioris linguae sum].

OE tr. Theodulf of Orleans Capitula (Corpus Cambr.) iii. 309 Ðurh þæt handweorc ge magon eowerne lichoman gewyldan þæt he þy lætra bið to uncystum.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2948 Weoren heo of Rome alle ridinde. þa o[ð]ere a-foten..and slowen alle heore hors here hæp wes þe lættere [c1300 Otho þat hii were alle afote].

?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 105 Formyca is of latter [L. tardioris] resolucioun þan herpesten.

a. Later; belonging to the later part of a period, process, narrative, etc.; existing or occurring after something expressed or implied; subsequent; second (cf. latter day n. 2, lattermath n.).Latter Prophets, latter supine: see the second element.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adjective] > later

overeOE

latterOE

posterior1534

later1542

lateward1577

elder1597

inferior1641

ulterior1646

OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) i. ix. 59 Þa weaxendan winu woldon feallan ofer þa fatu on þone flor, gif se biscop þa gyt lættra [OE Otho lætra] wære, þæt he inne eode [L. si adhuc episcopus tardius intrasset.].

OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) ii. xiii.128 Þa þa seo lættre [OE Otho lætere, Hatton lætre] tid com, & seo ufere þæs dæges weox & agan wæs.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 19984 Att cristess lattre come.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 8 Þe latere dole of his saȝe limpeð to reclusen.

Remonstr. against Romish Corruptions (Titus) (1851) 46 The ij principle..is falsli applied to the lattere pope reuersinge the formere pope.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. lxxix. 1340 Oþre foules leggeþ eyren twies or oftere a ȝere... But þe firste eyren beþ corrupte... And þe lattere eiren beþ complete.

c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xxi. l. 351 (MED) For we lyuede on þy lesinges, þer losten we blysse, And now for a later lesynge..We han lost oure lordshep..in helle.

?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) v. pr. vi. l. 5198 Þis strengþe of þe deuyne science..ne awiþ nat to lattere þinges [L. futura prouentu rerum].

c1480 (a1400) St. Andrew l. 457 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 76 For Adame..ete of þat forbodine met..þar-for suld þis latir mane..Þe self bittirnes taste of gall.

1536 R. Taverner tr. P. Melanchthon Apol. sig. K.ij^v, in Confessyon Fayth Germaynes In the fyrste parte he rebukethe synnes, and in the latter parte he dothe conforte vs.

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 4 The lattir historiographors [called us] Albians, and the Realme Albanie.

1611 Bible (King James) Amos vii. 1 It was the latter grouth after the kings mowings.

1624 F. Quarles Iob Militant xv. 19 My kindly words were welcome as a latter Raine.

1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης xiiii. 136 Former with latter steps in the progress of well doing need not reconcilement.

1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ iii. ii. §7 The latter Platonists.

1708 J. Swift Sentiments Church of Eng.-man i, in Misc. (1711) 97 The Opinion and Practice of the latter Cato.

1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) Eddish,..the latter Pasture or Grass that comes after Mowing or Reaping.

1784 M. Flinders Diary 28 Dec. in Gratefull to Providence (2007) I. 162 In the latter half of October..we have had a small Company of Comedians with us.

1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod i. i. 7 These pursuits are said by latter writers to have been [etc.].

1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters xv. 373 Gaunt suddenly fell away from him, like the latter snow.

1864 A. C. Swinburne Atalanta 1397 Pale as grass, or latter flowers.

1905 S. Isham Hist. Amer. Painting ii. 38 His latter work has less importance in a history of American painting.

1914 T. Hardy Satires of Circumstance 37 'Twas a day of latter summer, hot and dry.

2002 H. Petroski Paperboy ii. 32 My sister..was born in the latter part of the year.

b. Designating a festival celebrated later in the year than another sharing the same name or commemorating the same saint.

(a) Christian Church. Designating the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, 8 September; (also occasionally) designating the Assumption of the Virgin, 15 August. Chiefly in latter Lady Day, †latter Lady in harvest, latter Mary Day, †latter Marymass, †Saint Mary Day the latter. Cf. lady n. 2c, Lady Day n., Marymass n., etc. Now historical (chiefly Scottish in later use).

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Assumption > [noun]

latter Mary DayOE

Marymassa1200

assumption1297

Saint Mary dayc1300

Our Lady in Harvestc1325

society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Nativity of Virgin (8 September) > [noun]

nativity1389

latter Lady in harvesta1642

OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.iv) anno 1052 Þis wæs gedon vii nihton ær þære lateran sancta Maria mæssan.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 7843 Þe morwe after seinte mari day þe later [?a1425 Digby latter] ded he was.

?a1450 Miracles Our Lady in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1923) 38 358 Þen in the heruest..On oure lady latter day..Into a felde he was gon.]

?a1450 Miracles Our Lady in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1923) 38 359 Þe latter Saynt Marie day..Þai callen hit þe Natiuitee.

1500 in E. Beveridge Burgh Rec. Dunfermline (1917) 103 At the nativitie of our Lady callit later Marymes.

1541 MS Rec. Aberdeen in J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. (1825) Suppl. at Lettirmareday At the assumptioune of our Lady callit the letter Mareday.

1541 Aberd. Reg. XVII. in J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. (1825) The nativite of our Lady callit the Lettir mareday nixt to cum.

a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 12 Tuppes beinge fedde are to bee kept noe longer then latter Lady in harvest.

1702 G. C. Alamanack, & New Prognostication sig. A5^v Latter-Lady day in Dundee, Stirling, Bamff, [etc.]..all on the 8 [sc. of September].

1782 F. Douglas Gen. Descr. E. Coast Scotl. xviii. 147 The season of fishing is from Saint Andrew's-day..to Latter Mary-day, or the eight of September next year.

1911 Amer. Catholic Q. Rev. Apr. 211 Her Nativity..is called ‘Latter Lady Day’, ‘Latter Lady Day in Harvest’.

1955 Sc. Hist. Rev. 34 33 Latter Mary Day (8 September), was observed as a fair day in Dundee.

2000 J. Burnett Riot, Revelry & Rout vi. 121 In the sixteenth century it [sc. the Assumption] was known as the first Lady Day, for Irvine had a latter lady Day fair a few weeks later.

(b) Latter Lammas n. (also †Latter Lammas day) now rare a day that will never come; chiefly in adverbial phrases, as at Latter Lammas, until Latter Lammas, etc. Cf. Lammas n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [noun] > time or date which never comes

Latter Lammas1559

nevermas?1562

the week of the four Fridays1766

Tib's Eve1785

nevermore1951

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > never

neverOE

ne'erc1275

late?a1439

naya1547

Latter Lammas1559

when the devil is blind1645

on (at) the Greek Calendsa1649

Queen Dick1652

tomorrow come never1660

nowhena1767

on Tib's Eve1785

1559 W. Bavand tr. J. Ferrarius Common Weale iv. v. f. 69 To proroge Plees, euen vntill latter Lammas as they saie.

1575 G. Gascoigne Certayne Notes Instr. in Posies sig. U.ij Many writers..draw their sentences in length, & make an ende at latter Lammas.

1642 T. Fuller Holy State iv. xv. 316 This your will At latter lammas wee'l fulfill.

a1734 R. North Lives of Norths (1826) I. 4 The very expectation of them puts me in mind of latter Lammas.

1857 C. Kingsley Two Years Ago I. vii. 174 A treatise..which will be published probably..in the season of Latter Lammas, and the Greek Kalends.

1956 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 26 Sept. 8/8 What justification could we have to defer universal compulsion till Latter Lammas?

c. Of a period of time: more recent. Cf. latter day adj. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > recency > [adjective] > of a time or date

latterc1405

late1433

recent1697

c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 739 Of latter date of wyues hath he red That somme han slayn hir housbondes in hir bed.

a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) viii. l. 2456 (MED) Rekne othir rewmys that been of latter date.

1601 W. Cornwallis Ess. II. xxviii. sig. P6 We of these latter times..mislike all the performances of our fore-fathers.

1799 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1956) I. 536 The most heaven-inspired..Penmaker that these latter Times..have produced.

1848 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. II. iii. vii. §3. 10 The mass of..baseless speculation with which this..has in latter times become surrounded.

1921 Hutchinson (Kansas) News 24 Sept. 7/1 During these latter weeks their hearts were filled with pride.

1991 Photographer Sept. 46/1 In latter years social portrait studios have gravitated towards the brown ‘old master’ backdrop.

2014 Australian (Nexis) 4 Mar. 29 Polycrates of Samos cheated the Spartans with coins of simulated gold; in latter times governments have had lavish times printing bank notes as fast as the presses will roll.

3. That has been mentioned second of two, last of a group of more than two, or at or near the end of a preceding clause or sentence. Frequently opposed to former.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > [adjective] > commenting or mentioning > former or latter

latterc1225

former1597

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adjective] > later > latter

latterc1225

hinder1551

c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) 53 Hire leatere [a1250 Titus latere] were is leasse wurð & leasse haueð þen hefde ear hire earre.

c1450 in D. Thomson Middle Eng. Grammatical Texts (1984) 38 Whenne ther comyth two verbes togedre wythout and et coniunccion sette bytwene, the latter verbe schall be infinityf mode.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. ccxliij The firste three..were burned: and the latter three..were hanged.

1555 in J. Strype Eccl. Memorials (1721) III. App. xliv. 126 This latter sort..are more hated in the sight of God than the other.

1632 R. Sanderson 12 Serm. 58 Of the later sort are such outward actions [etc.].

1641 W. Vaughan Sovles Exercise v. 194 The former merits Death, the Latter thing No lesse than death.

1681 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) I. 124 The latter party have been called by the former, whigs, fanaticks, covenanteers, bromigham protestants, &c.

1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. at Disloyal 4 The three latter senses are now obsolete.

1780 J. Bentham Introd. Princ. Morals & Legisl. (1789) xvii. §6 The latter mode is not less certain than the former.

1822 W. D. Conybeare & W. Phillips Outl. Geol. Eng. & Wales 202 In Wiltshire it is known by the name of the cornbrash or corn-grit. The latter appellation however is improper because it is not a grit.

1875 A. W. Bennett & W. T. T. Dyer tr. J. von Sachs Text-bk. Bot. 52 These are a double calcium and magnesium phosphate, in which the latter base is greatly in excess.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvi. [Eumaeus] 587 Eaten alive? a third asked the sailor.—Ay, ay, sighed again the latter personage.

1971 Guardian 24 Dec. 17/5 The Berlin Wall stands unbreached, passes are needed to get into Bethlehem and Father Christmas has been arrested in Oxford Street. It's the latter item that fascinates me.

2000 Guardian 20 Apr. ii. 16/5 Every time the bacterial cell duplicates its DNA, the viral DNA is also duplicated. This latter process is called lysogeny.

†4. Situated further or furthest away; outermost; lower; hindmost. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adjective] > most distant or remotest

utterestc1200

lastc1225

furthestc1374

farthest1377

lattera1382

outmosta1382

outerestc1392

uttermost1398

yondermest1513

farmost1581

hindmost1596

yondmost1608

extremea1616

farthermost1619

furthermost1765

endermost1803

ultimate1848

endmost1879

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Num. xi. 1 Þe fuyr of þe lord tent in to hem deuourede þe lattere [a1425 L.V. laste; L. extremam] paarte of þe tentys.

c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 34 (MED) Considere ek how mochel in the same lymbe is by twixe the hed of aries and the lyne of his aux, þt yit is in the lattere ende of libra.

?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 124^v, in Middle Eng. Dict. at Later(e (MED) Sewe wiþ a nedel & a þrede euerie involucioun of þi bonde þat þe firste latter involucioun mowe be ioyned with þe ouermore involucioun.

c1540 J. Bellenden tr. Livy Hist. Rome (1901) I. ii. 199 The Volschis..followit feirsly on the latter skirtis of thair armye.

5. Belonging to the final part of a period, process, narrative, etc.; last. See also latter end n. at Compounds 2 and latter day n. and adj.In some instances perhaps simply a contextual use of sense A. 2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [noun] > concluding period

lattera1470

latter day1528

last times1611

the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > end or conclusion > [adjective] > relating to final stage

lastc1175

lattera1470

the world > existence and causation > existence > non-existence > [noun] > ending of existence > the last judgement > last days

last daya1400

lattera1470

latter day1528

last times1611

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 617 To begyn, the kyngis lettirs spake wondirly shorte... The lattir clause seyde that kynge Marke toke sir Trystram for his mortall enemy.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. ix. 94 At lattyr poynt [L. digressu supremo] quhen thai war to depart.

?1529 Proper Dyaloge Gentillman & Husbandman sig. A.j Youre fraudes allmoste at y^e latter cast.

?1559 Queen Elizabeth I Iniunctions sig. C.ii In the latter yeare of the raigne of Kynge Edwarde the syxte.

1594 C. Marlowe & T. Nashe Dido ii. sig. C1^v At whose latter gaspe Ioues marble statue gan to bend the brow.

1599 J. Marston Scourge of Villanie (new ed.) iii. Satyra Nova sig. H The latter page of old Pigmalion.

a1673 T. Horton 100 Select Serm. (1679) xxv. 173/1 Christ..knew not the day and hour of the latter judgment.

?a1725 D. Culy Wks. (1726) iii. xv. 177 In our Death and latter Breath We do him glorify.

1816 T. Jefferson Writings (1830) IV. 296 All the latter years of aged men are overshadowed with its gloom.

1827 J. F. Cooper Red Rover II. xv. 243 His latter moment is indeed near. Shall I offer a prayer for the health of the departing spirit?

1864 Brit. Jrnl. Homœopathy 22 225 The bacteriæ always appeared first in the latter hours of life, most commonly four hours before death.

1938 Pittsburgh Courier 27 Aug. 14/2 Mr. Shuyler..is one of the false prophets predicted to appear in the latter times; he is an anti-Christ.

1983 Slavonic & East European Rev. 61 363 Having no heir he expended his latter breaths in entrusting his earthly dominions..to the Tsaritsa Irina.

2012 J. S. D. Eisenhower Refl. on Leadership ix. 134 In the latter weeks of World War II in Europe, he had been wounded by a German hand grenade.

†B. adv.

1. Later; at a more advanced time or stage. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > after, afterwards, or later

sitheneOE

aftereOE

sithOE

eftOE

latterOE

aftOE

sithencea1170

sithrec1175

thereup?c1225

baftc1275

furtherc1290

eftsoon1297

therewithala1300

afterwardc1300

afterwardsc1300

soc1300

therewithc1369

eftersoonsa1400

suingly?a1425

at after1425

followingly?c1425

afterhand1438

syne1489

by posteriority1523

in sequel1524

still1526

later1527

subsequently1537

senthis?1553

lately1565

subsequent1568

behindc1600

sequelarly1600

posterior1628

in prosecutiona1641

subsequentiallya1683

artera1746

posteriorly1799

ulteriorly1818

later on1829

OE Rule St. Benet (Corpus Cambr.) xi. 36 Seo endebyrdnes sunnandaga uhtsanges sy gelice gehealden on ælcne timan,..butan hit færlice swa gelimpe, þæt man lator [a1225 Winteney læter; L. tardius] arise, þonne hit gebyrige.

OE Byrhtferð Enchiridion (Ashm.) (1995) iii. i. 132 Lengten ne mæg beon ær v idus Februarii ne lator þonne ii idus Martii.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13206 Þohhwheþþre comm he lattre till. To lefenn upp o criste.

a1225 (?OE) MS Vesp. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 231 Þa sende se king his ærndraches..to ȝelaðie þis folc; hwet bute icome, sum cofer, sum later, sum frend, sum fend.

a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 131 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 167 Oþer raþer oðer later; milce he scal imeten.

c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 1020 Horn was in þe watere; Ne miȝte he come no latere.

c1330 Assumption of Virgin (Auch.) l. 635 in Englische Studien (1885) 8 455 Which manere miȝt hit be, Þat þou here seghe latter þan we?

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. xxxix. 387 Þe vreyne..meueþ in vncerteyne houres. For it comeþ somtyme raþer an [MS þan] somtyme latter.

c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 22 (MED) Þe former bokis hadden not her fullist and parfitist filling and eending eer þan þe latter bigunne bokis were al moost eendid.

1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) v. xiv. f. cix The sone dependeth of the fader nouther more ne lesse neither latter ne rather than the fader.

1594 tr. A. Arnauld Arrainm. Whole Soc. Iesuits in France f. 28^v The time is come though it be latter than is for the honor of the reputation of Fraunce.

1657 W. Rand tr. P. Gassendi Mirrour of Nobility i. 73 Why he came latter then he was wont to do.

1698 J. Milner View Diss. upon Epist. ii. 58 As Scaliger fixes the Time latter than Pausanias, so Petavius sets it sooner.

2. More slowly; less readily. Also occasionally: less often, more rarely. Obsolete.See also never the latter adv.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > slowness of action or operation > [adverb] > more slowly

lattera1225

a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 15 Eour eyþer sunegað bi-foran drihten and ec leter ȝe beoð sahte.

c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. i. l. 173 Þat nis no treuþe of Trinite but tricherie of helle, And a leornyng for lewed men þe latere [c1400 Trin. Cambr. lattere, c1475 Douce latter] forte dele.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vi. xx. 321 Som mete turneþ sone into blood..and som..turneþ latter [L. tardius] into blood.

a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 217 Ful seelden it comeþ of colre, & more lattere [L. rarissime] of malancoli.

c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 34 (MED) Þese litil ribbis..þoruȝ þeir plicacioun & foldynge & litil resistence, þei schulden þe lattere be y-broken.

a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 220 (MED) More latre Is he [sc. the Malencoly man] wourthe [= wroth] than a colerike man.

C. n.

With the or another determiner. The person(s) or thing(s) mentioned last; the second or last member of a specified pair or group. Use of the latter when referring to the last-mentioned member of a group of three or more (rather than the last), or to refer to a single antecedent which is not part of a group, has often been criticized as erroneous by usage writers: see quot. 1926 and Webster's Dict. Eng. Usage (1989) 458/2.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [noun] > the latter or thing that is mentioned second

aftereOE

latter?c1225

this subsequenta1573

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 70 Bacbiteres..beoð of twa maneres. ach þe latere is wurse. þe arre comeð al openlich... ach þe latere kimeð forð al on oðer wise.

c1425 Concordance Wycliffite Bible in Speculum (1968) 43 272 Remissioun is ofte maad..fro such a synoneme til a-noþir; Sumtyme þe formere remittiþ to þe lattere, & sumtyme þe lattere remittiþ to þe formere.

?1548 tr. J. Calvin Faythfvl Treat. Sacrament sig. C.vi So that we come not, voyde of all faythe and repentance. Wherof the fyrst is hyd in y^e mind..The later is declared in action and worke.

1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 4^v I am neither so suspitious to mistrust your good will, nor so sottishe to mislike your good counsaile, as I am therefore to thancke you for the first, so it standes mee vppon to thincke better on the latter.

1621 P. Heylyn Microcosmus 51 Some following the Romish Synagogue, others the Reformed Church, these latter being called Hugonotts.

1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. xxviii. sig. N5 The first hath more incertain'd honour; but lesse safety: The latter is humbly-secure.

1679 E. Young Serm. White-Hall 29 Dec. 1678 7 The Civilians distinguishing a Law into parts, the Preceptive Part,..and the Distributive Part,..are pleas'd to call this later the Sanction..of the Law.

1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 210 Lime and Wood are insociable, the former very much corrodeing and decaying the latter.

1798 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 1074/2 She had captured an English merchant ship.., and an American sloop; which latter was recaptured.

1815 J. C. Hobhouse Let. 28 June in Substance of Lett. (1816) II. xxv. 18 The three first were immediately adopted, the fourth was considered premature, but the latter received the unanimous support of the chamber.

1834 J. Howison European Colonies II. 348 The current of air..rushes..to fill up the vacuum thus produced. Should the latter be of small extent, it is supplied almost instantaneously.

1870 F. R. Wilson Archit. Surv. Churches Lindisfarne 99 A nave and chancel, with a small vestry on the north side of the latter.

1926 H. W. Fowler Dict. Mod. Eng. Usage 316/2 The latter should not be used when more than a pair are in question... Neither should it be used when less than two are in question.

1928 E. Ekwall Eng. River-names p. lxxiii British b, d, g were lenated to v, ð, ȝ, which latter often disappears.

1952 P. Heaton Cruising iv. 74 The skipper, or if the latter is the navigator, the bos'n, will be having a final look round.

2013 A. Adogame Afr. Christian Diaspora iv. 61 These [sc. churches]..draw their clientele from both Africans and non-Africans, although significantly more from the former than the latter.

Compounds

C1. Uses of the adverb preceding adjectives and past participles to form adjectives and nouns, as latter-born, latter-named, latter-mentioned, etc.

ΚΠ

1598 H. Roberts Honours Conquest sig. M4 The latter borne, a stranger hence shall steale, By whom great good shall chance thy common weale.

1646 S. Rutherford Let. 30 Jan. in Joshua Redivivus (1664) 541 The latter born heirs have so much greater guiltiness.

1655 J. Lightfoot Harmony New-Test. ii. 119 Concerning both this and the latter named, they passed Festus his censure upon him.

1761 Earl of Pembroke Method Breaking Horses viii. 87 There should..be one forge-cart..appropriated to each squadron, and a third for the latter-mentioned purposes.

1763 R. Clarke Voice of Glad-tidings 227 The First-born and First-fruits imply the Necessity of the Latter-born and Latter-fruits.

1780 A. Young Tour Ireland 57 From Mullingar to Tullespace I found rents in general at 20s an acre... About the latter named place, the farms are generally from 100 to 300 acres.

1857 Notes & Queries 4 July 12/2 A gentleman..named all his latter born children ‘Jane’.., male or female.

1861 Phytologist 5 366 The bracts of the latter-mentioned are more acuminate than they are in the former.

1914 E. G. Bell Introd. Prose Romances Plays & Comedies of Bulwer 358 The habit and custom of a life made the latter-born the best beloved.

2002 L. Abbott & D. Seroff Out of Sight i. 58 The latter-named artists lived up to expectations.

C2. Compounds of the adjective.

latter end n. (a) the very end of a period, process, etc.; esp. the end of life, death; (also occasionally) the furthest point or extremity; (b) humorous the buttocks.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > back > buttock(s) > [noun]

flitcha700

arse-endseOE

culec1220

buttockc1300

tail1303

toutec1305

nagea1325

fundamentc1325

tail-end1377

brawna1382

buma1387

bewschers?a1400

crouponc1400

rumplec1430

lendc1440

nachec1440

luddocka1475

rearwarda1475

croupc1475

rumpc1475

dock1508

hurdies1535

bunc1538

sitting place1545

bottom?c1550

prat1567

nates1581

backside1593

crupper1594

posteriorums1596

catastrophe1600

podex1601

posterior1605

seat1607

poop1611

stern1631

cheek1639

breeka1642

doup1653

bumkin1658

bumfiddle1661

assa1672

butt1675

quarter1678

foundation1681

toby1681

bung1691

rear1716

fud1722

moon1756

derrière1774

rass1790

stern-post1810

sit-down1812

hinderland1817

hinderling1817

nancy1819

ultimatum1823

behinda1830

duff?1837

botty1842

rear end1851

latter end1852

hinder?1857

sit1862

sit-me-down1866

stern-works1879

tuchus1886

jacksy-pardy1891

sit-upon1910

can1913

truck-end1913

sitzfleisch1916

B.T.M.1919

fanny1919

bot1922

heinie1922

beam1929

yas yas1929

keister1931

batty1935

bim1935

arse-end1937

twat1937

okole1938

bahookie1939

bohunkus1941

quoit1941

patoot1942

rusty-dusty1942

dinger1943

jacksie1943

zatch1950

ding1957

booty1959

patootie1959

buns1960

wazoo1961

tush1962

c1300 St. Julian Confessor (Laud) 33 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 256 In þe latere ende of Ieneuer.

c1392 [see sense A. 4].

c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Nun's Priest's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 385 For euere the latter [c1415 Lansd. later] ende of ioye is wo.

a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) l. 2219 In þe laterhende of þe office.

c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 3891 Him limpis all þe loose be þe lattire end.

1481 J. Dalton Let. 22 Sept. in Cely Lett. (1975) 113 They laytter end of the next weke I purpose into Flaunderes.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. ccxliij^v In y^e latter ende of this moneth.

1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 292 From the later ende of Marche vntill the later ende of July.

1629 W. Prynne Church of Englands Old Antithesis 82 What is the chiefe..ground..of most mens delaying amendment to their latter ends.

1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World xiii. 351 About the latter end of August.

1698 M. Henry Acct. Life P. Henry ii. 23 At the later end of the Year 1648, he had leave given him to make a visit to his Father at White-hall.

1710 S. Palmer Moral Ess. Prov. 247 Death..shou'd never be spoken of in jest: for a man may play with almost any thing safer than his latter-end.

1852 R. Coombes in Aquatic Notes Cambr. 104 Throw the body forward with a spring, as if your latter end was made of Indian-rubber.

1893 G. E. Matheson About Holland 10 The latter end of the Rhine is not so romantic..as its earlier career in Germany.

1923 Humorist 22 Sept. 212/1 Ye're no' as young as ye was. Dae ye no' think it's a peety to be approachin' your latter end without tryin' to acquire some general knowledge?

1928 P. C. Wren Beau Ideal xii. 233 The Angel of Death [sc. a belly dancer] (by means of a violent kick upon his latter end..), attracted the attention of our chaperon.

2007 Jrnl. Mod. Lit. 31 ii. 6 The spiritualist press..was a key precursor to the occult press of the latter end of the nineteenth century.

† latter fair n. originally Scottish (Obsolete) the last or most recent of a series of fairs; (also) a fair held towards the end of the year.

ΚΠ

1596 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Stirling (1887) I. 223 Rewynwies of the Latter Fair sett to Stewyne Aikmane for aucht pondis monie.

1672 Stirling Common Good f. 80 For proclaming the setts of the letter fair.

1843 Brit. Farmer's Market Jan. 469 Carlisle latter fair, on Monday the 19th of September, was but indifferently stored with beasts, especially with fat or those in good condition.

1900 Live Stock Jrnl. 7 Sept. 279/1 Carlisle auction market... Latter fair sale.

lattermeat n. chiefly Scottish (now historical and rare) (a meal consisting of) food left over from the main household meal, given to servants and other dependants; second table; frequently attributive, as lattermeat hall, †latter-meat man, latter-meat room, †latter-meat table.

ΚΠ

a1450 Rule St. Benet (Vesp.) (1902) l. 1510 (MED) And who so þus salbe seruand May tak a sop wele be-for-hand, So þat þer penance bi not gret Forto bide til þe latter mete.

c1475 in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (Harl. 642) (1790) 32 Kervers and cupberers..to sett in the hall at the furst or latter mete.

1609 S. Grahame Anat. Humors f. 12 The stomack of a latter-meate man, and the stomack of a dog, must be very like of disgesture.

1721 A. Ramsay Elegy Patie Birnie xv Ane's thrawart porter wadna let Him in while latter meat was hett.

1738 Caledonian Mercury 25 Dec. A large Kitchin.., pantry and Latter-meat Room.

1831 J. Logan Sc. Gaël II. iv. 130 In many parts of the North, that the Laird had his ‘latter meat table’, daily spread for all who chose to partake of his liberality.

1987 Rev. Sc. Culture 3 20 The inferior servants had their meals in the Lattermeat Hall.

† lattermowth n. Obsolete a second or subsequent growth of hay or grass, after the first has been mown; = lattermath n.; cf. after-mowth n. at after- prefix 3, aftermath n. 1.

ΚΠ

1661 T. Hall Expos. Prophecy Amos xii. 366 The vulgar Latine mistaking the Original, render it, Serotinus imber, the latter rain, but the word is, Lekesh, herba serotina, sive cordum) the latter mowth.

1711 J. Greenwood Ess. Pract. Eng. Gram. 175 Later-mow'th, the after-mowth, now call'd Math.

1861 Jackson's Oxf. Jrnl. 3 Aug. 4/5 (advt.) 2 acres of seed vetches, 5 acres of lattermowth clover, and a rick of very fine clover hay.

latter wit n. English regional (chiefly Yorkshire) wisdom, a witty remark, etc., which occurs to a person after the event, typically too late to be of use; cf. after-wit n. 2, esprit de l'escalier n. at esprit n. 2c.In quot. 1750 as the name of a character.

ΚΠ

1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 35. ⁋5 Thriftless and Latterwit, two smart fellows.]

1872 J. Hartley Orig. Illuminated Clock Almanack 47 (heading) Latter wit.

1886 J. Hartley Yorks. Tales 2nd Ser. 52 Aw allus do begin thinkin when it's too lat, for awm like mooast Yorksher fowk, awm troubled wi' latter wit.

1908 G. Seagram Bushmen All iii. 31 Being blessed—as befitted a Wiltshire lad—with ‘latter’ wit himself, he always knew what he ought to have said, when the opportunity for so doing had gone.

1963 E. M. Wilkinson In Praise of Aesthetics 12 The only kind of wit with which I am blessed is what we in the North call ‘latter wit’ (‘to be gifted with latter wit’, as we say, is the best equivalent I know for avoir l'esprit de l'escalier).

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	latter
释义	latteradj.adv.n. Brit. /ˈlatə/, U.S. /ˈlædər/ Forms: Old English later (as adverb), Old English latera, Old English latur (as adverb), Old English lætera, Old English lætra, Old English lættra (rare), Old English–early Middle English lator (as adverb), late Old English–early Middle English læter (as adverb), early Middle English lættere, early Middle English leatere (south-west midlands), Middle English latere, Middle English latir, Middle English latre, Middle English lattere, Middle English lattir, Middle English lattire, Middle English lattor, Middle English lattre, Middle English lature (as adverb), Middle English leter (as adverb), Middle English lettur, Middle English–1500s letter, Middle English–1600s later, Middle English– latter, late Middle English latur, late Middle English latyr, late Middle English laytter; also Scottish pre-1700 later, pre-1700 latere, pre-1700 lathyre, pre-1700 latir, pre-1700 lattare, pre-1700 latter, pre-1700 lattere, pre-1700 lattir, pre-1700 lattire, pre-1700 lattre, pre-1700 lattyr, pre-1700 lattyre, pre-1700 latyr, pre-1700 lettar, pre-1700 letter, pre-1700 lettir, pre-1700 lettre, pre-1700 lettyr. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian letora , letera , lettera later, following, next, Middle Dutch lāter (adverb) later (Dutch later , adverb and adjective), Old Saxon latoro , latera lazier, slower, later (Middle Low German lāter , lēter ), Middle High German laȥȥer duller, more sluggish, tardier, Old Icelandic latari slower, lazier < the Germanic base of late adj.¹ + the Germanic base of -er suffix³. Compare later adv., adj., and int.Form history. In Old English lætra (adjective) the comparative suffix -ra immediately follows stem-final t . In the resulting consonant group, the plosive was sometimes geminated, giving lættra (compare forms of better adj., n.¹, and adv. and discussion at that entry). These forms are continued in Middle English forms like latre , lattre and (with epenthetic vowel) latere , lattere , latter with short stem vowel preserved originally in trisyllabic forms and in disyllabic forms before the consonant cluster. A divergent development of long ā by open syllable lengthening in uninflected lāter might have been expected for the comparative adverb (Old English lator ); however, the evidence suggests that Middle English later (and associated forms), whether adverb or adjective, usually had a short stem vowel, probably as a result of the influence of forms of the comparative adjective (compare discussion at later adv., adj., and int.). The spelling later continued to be used for latter as late as the 17th cent. (All examples of later earlier than 1500 have been regarded as showing latter adj., adv., and n., although it is conceivable that some (especially in senses A. 2a or B. 1) may rather belong as antedatings at later adv., adj., and int.) Specific forms. The early Middle English form leatere (in the so-called ‘AB language’ of the south-west midlands) perhaps reflects back mutation (after Second Fronting of a to æ ) in forms such as (unattested) Old English (Mercian) leator , leatost ; compare leate at late adj.¹ α. forms, leate at late adv. α. forms. The late Middle English form laytter (attested in the Cely Letters, a source known for the vagaries of its spelling) is clearly intended as a spelling of latter and bears no relationship with Older Scots laiter, laitter at later adv., adj., and int. Forms. A. adj. †1. Slower. Also: more reluctant, less inclined (to an action, etc.). Obsolete.In quot. c1275 the phrase to be the latter has been taken as ‘to be the less, to be the worse’, but ‘to be the slower’ fits the context (and explains the variant reading of the Otho MS) better. ΘΚΠ the world > movement > rate of motion > slowness > [adjective] > slower latterOE slowed-down1890 slowed-up1893 OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) iv. 10 Siþþan þu spræce to þynum þeowe ic hæfde þe lætran tungan [L. inpeditioris et tardioris linguae sum]. OE tr. Theodulf of Orleans Capitula (Corpus Cambr.) iii. 309 Ðurh þæt handweorc ge magon eowerne lichoman gewyldan þæt he þy lætra bið to uncystum. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2948 Weoren heo of Rome alle ridinde. þa o[ð]ere a-foten..and slowen alle heore hors here hæp wes þe lættere [c1300 Otho þat hii were alle afote]. ?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 105 Formyca is of latter [L. tardioris] resolucioun þan herpesten. 2. a. Later; belonging to the later part of a period, process, narrative, etc.; existing or occurring after something expressed or implied; subsequent; second (cf. latter day n. 2, lattermath n.).Latter Prophets, latter supine: see the second element. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adjective] > later overeOE latterOE posterior1534 later1542 lateward1577 elder1597 inferior1641 ulterior1646 OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) i. ix. 59 Þa weaxendan winu woldon feallan ofer þa fatu on þone flor, gif se biscop þa gyt lættra [OE Otho lætra] wære, þæt he inne eode [L. si adhuc episcopus tardius intrasset.]. OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) ii. xiii.128 Þa þa seo lættre [OE Otho lætere, Hatton lætre] tid com, & seo ufere þæs dæges weox & agan wæs. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 19984 Att cristess lattre come. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 8 Þe latere dole of his saȝe limpeð to reclusen. Remonstr. against Romish Corruptions (Titus) (1851) 46 The ij principle..is falsli applied to the lattere pope reuersinge the formere pope. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. lxxix. 1340 Oþre foules leggeþ eyren twies or oftere a ȝere... But þe firste eyren beþ corrupte... And þe lattere eiren beþ complete. c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xxi. l. 351 (MED) For we lyuede on þy lesinges, þer losten we blysse, And now for a later lesynge..We han lost oure lordshep..in helle. ?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) v. pr. vi. l. 5198 Þis strengþe of þe deuyne science..ne awiþ nat to lattere þinges [L. futura prouentu rerum]. c1480 (a1400) St. Andrew l. 457 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 76 For Adame..ete of þat forbodine met..þar-for suld þis latir mane..Þe self bittirnes taste of gall. 1536 R. Taverner tr. P. Melanchthon Apol. sig. K.ij^v, in Confessyon Fayth Germaynes In the fyrste parte he rebukethe synnes, and in the latter parte he dothe conforte vs. 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 4 The lattir historiographors [called us] Albians, and the Realme Albanie. 1611 Bible (King James) Amos vii. 1 It was the latter grouth after the kings mowings. View more context for this quotation 1624 F. Quarles Iob Militant xv. 19 My kindly words were welcome as a latter Raine. 1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης xiiii. 136 Former with latter steps in the progress of well doing need not reconcilement. 1662 E. Stillingfleet Origines Sacræ iii. ii. §7 The latter Platonists. 1708 J. Swift Sentiments Church of Eng.-man i, in Misc. (1711) 97 The Opinion and Practice of the latter Cato. 1727 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Oeconomique (Dublin ed.) Eddish,..the latter Pasture or Grass that comes after Mowing or Reaping. 1784 M. Flinders Diary 28 Dec. in Gratefull to Providence (2007) I. 162 In the latter half of October..we have had a small Company of Comedians with us. 1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod i. i. 7 These pursuits are said by latter writers to have been [etc.]. 1863 C. C. Clarke Shakespeare-characters xv. 373 Gaunt suddenly fell away from him, like the latter snow. 1864 A. C. Swinburne Atalanta 1397 Pale as grass, or latter flowers. 1905 S. Isham Hist. Amer. Painting ii. 38 His latter work has less importance in a history of American painting. 1914 T. Hardy Satires of Circumstance 37 'Twas a day of latter summer, hot and dry. 2002 H. Petroski Paperboy ii. 32 My sister..was born in the latter part of the year. b. Designating a festival celebrated later in the year than another sharing the same name or commemorating the same saint. (a) Christian Church. Designating the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, 8 September; (also occasionally) designating the Assumption of the Virgin, 15 August. Chiefly in latter Lady Day, †latter Lady in harvest, latter Mary Day, †latter Marymass, †Saint Mary Day the latter. Cf. lady n. 2c, Lady Day n., Marymass n., etc. Now historical (chiefly Scottish in later use). ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Assumption > [noun] latter Mary DayOE Marymassa1200 assumption1297 Saint Mary dayc1300 Our Lady in Harvestc1325 society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Nativity of Virgin (8 September) > [noun] nativity1389 latter Lady in harvesta1642 OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.iv) anno 1052 Þis wæs gedon vii nihton ær þære lateran sancta Maria mæssan. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 7843 Þe morwe after seinte mari day þe later [?a1425 Digby latter] ded he was. ?a1450 Miracles Our Lady in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1923) 38 358 Þen in the heruest..On oure lady latter day..Into a felde he was gon.] ?a1450 Miracles Our Lady in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1923) 38 359 Þe latter Saynt Marie day..Þai callen hit þe Natiuitee. 1500 in E. Beveridge Burgh Rec. Dunfermline (1917) 103 At the nativitie of our Lady callit later Marymes. 1541 MS Rec. Aberdeen in J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. (1825) Suppl. at Lettirmareday At the assumptioune of our Lady callit the letter Mareday. 1541 Aberd. Reg. XVII. in J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. (1825) The nativite of our Lady callit the Lettir mareday nixt to cum. a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 12 Tuppes beinge fedde are to bee kept noe longer then latter Lady in harvest. 1702 G. C. Alamanack, & New Prognostication sig. A5^v Latter-Lady day in Dundee, Stirling, Bamff, [etc.]..all on the 8 [sc. of September]. 1782 F. Douglas Gen. Descr. E. Coast Scotl. xviii. 147 The season of fishing is from Saint Andrew's-day..to Latter Mary-day, or the eight of September next year. 1911 Amer. Catholic Q. Rev. Apr. 211 Her Nativity..is called ‘Latter Lady Day’, ‘Latter Lady Day in Harvest’. 1955 Sc. Hist. Rev. 34 33 Latter Mary Day (8 September), was observed as a fair day in Dundee. 2000 J. Burnett Riot, Revelry & Rout vi. 121 In the sixteenth century it [sc. the Assumption] was known as the first Lady Day, for Irvine had a latter lady Day fair a few weeks later. (b) Latter Lammas n. (also †Latter Lammas day) now rare a day that will never come; chiefly in adverbial phrases, as at Latter Lammas, until Latter Lammas, etc. Cf. Lammas n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [noun] > time or date which never comes Latter Lammas1559 nevermas?1562 the week of the four Fridays1766 Tib's Eve1785 nevermore1951 the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adverb] > never neverOE ne'erc1275 late?a1439 naya1547 Latter Lammas1559 when the devil is blind1645 on (at) the Greek Calendsa1649 Queen Dick1652 tomorrow come never1660 nowhena1767 on Tib's Eve1785 1559 W. Bavand tr. J. Ferrarius Common Weale iv. v. f. 69 To proroge Plees, euen vntill latter Lammas as they saie. 1575 G. Gascoigne Certayne Notes Instr. in Posies sig. U.ij Many writers..draw their sentences in length, & make an ende at latter Lammas. 1642 T. Fuller Holy State iv. xv. 316 This your will At latter lammas wee'l fulfill. a1734 R. North Lives of Norths (1826) I. 4 The very expectation of them puts me in mind of latter Lammas. 1857 C. Kingsley Two Years Ago I. vii. 174 A treatise..which will be published probably..in the season of Latter Lammas, and the Greek Kalends. 1956 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 26 Sept. 8/8 What justification could we have to defer universal compulsion till Latter Lammas? c. Of a period of time: more recent. Cf. latter day adj. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > recency > [adjective] > of a time or date latterc1405 late1433 recent1697 c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 739 Of latter date of wyues hath he red That somme han slayn hir housbondes in hir bed. a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) viii. l. 2456 (MED) Rekne othir rewmys that been of latter date. 1601 W. Cornwallis Ess. II. xxviii. sig. P6 We of these latter times..mislike all the performances of our fore-fathers. 1799 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1956) I. 536 The most heaven-inspired..Penmaker that these latter Times..have produced. 1848 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. II. iii. vii. §3. 10 The mass of..baseless speculation with which this..has in latter times become surrounded. 1921 Hutchinson (Kansas) News 24 Sept. 7/1 During these latter weeks their hearts were filled with pride. 1991 Photographer Sept. 46/1 In latter years social portrait studios have gravitated towards the brown ‘old master’ backdrop. 2014 Australian (Nexis) 4 Mar. 29 Polycrates of Samos cheated the Spartans with coins of simulated gold; in latter times governments have had lavish times printing bank notes as fast as the presses will roll. 3. That has been mentioned second of two, last of a group of more than two, or at or near the end of a preceding clause or sentence. Frequently opposed to former. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > [adjective] > commenting or mentioning > former or latter latterc1225 former1597 the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adjective] > later > latter latterc1225 hinder1551 c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) 53 Hire leatere [a1250 Titus latere] were is leasse wurð & leasse haueð þen hefde ear hire earre. c1450 in D. Thomson Middle Eng. Grammatical Texts (1984) 38 Whenne ther comyth two verbes togedre wythout and et coniunccion sette bytwene, the latter verbe schall be infinityf mode. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. ccxliij The firste three..were burned: and the latter three..were hanged. 1555 in J. Strype Eccl. Memorials (1721) III. App. xliv. 126 This latter sort..are more hated in the sight of God than the other. 1632 R. Sanderson 12 Serm. 58 Of the later sort are such outward actions [etc.]. 1641 W. Vaughan Sovles Exercise v. 194 The former merits Death, the Latter thing No lesse than death. 1681 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) I. 124 The latter party have been called by the former, whigs, fanaticks, covenanteers, bromigham protestants, &c. 1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. at Disloyal 4 The three latter senses are now obsolete. 1780 J. Bentham Introd. Princ. Morals & Legisl. (1789) xvii. §6 The latter mode is not less certain than the former. 1822 W. D. Conybeare & W. Phillips Outl. Geol. Eng. & Wales 202 In Wiltshire it is known by the name of the cornbrash or corn-grit. The latter appellation however is improper because it is not a grit. 1875 A. W. Bennett & W. T. T. Dyer tr. J. von Sachs Text-bk. Bot. 52 These are a double calcium and magnesium phosphate, in which the latter base is greatly in excess. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses iii. xvi. [Eumaeus] 587 Eaten alive? a third asked the sailor.—Ay, ay, sighed again the latter personage. 1971 Guardian 24 Dec. 17/5 The Berlin Wall stands unbreached, passes are needed to get into Bethlehem and Father Christmas has been arrested in Oxford Street. It's the latter item that fascinates me. 2000 Guardian 20 Apr. ii. 16/5 Every time the bacterial cell duplicates its DNA, the viral DNA is also duplicated. This latter process is called lysogeny. †4. Situated further or furthest away; outermost; lower; hindmost. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > space > distance > distance or farness > [adjective] > most distant or remotest utterestc1200 lastc1225 furthestc1374 farthest1377 lattera1382 outmosta1382 outerestc1392 uttermost1398 yondermest1513 farmost1581 hindmost1596 yondmost1608 extremea1616 farthermost1619 furthermost1765 endermost1803 ultimate1848 endmost1879 a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Num. xi. 1 Þe fuyr of þe lord tent in to hem deuourede þe lattere [a1425 L.V. laste; L. extremam] paarte of þe tentys. c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 34 (MED) Considere ek how mochel in the same lymbe is by twixe the hed of aries and the lyne of his aux, þt yit is in the lattere ende of libra. ?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 124^v, in Middle Eng. Dict. at Later(e (MED) Sewe wiþ a nedel & a þrede euerie involucioun of þi bonde þat þe firste latter involucioun mowe be ioyned with þe ouermore involucioun. c1540 J. Bellenden tr. Livy Hist. Rome (1901) I. ii. 199 The Volschis..followit feirsly on the latter skirtis of thair armye. 5. Belonging to the final part of a period, process, narrative, etc.; last. See also latter end n. at Compounds 2 and latter day n. and adj.In some instances perhaps simply a contextual use of sense A. 2. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [noun] > concluding period lattera1470 latter day1528 last times1611 the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > end or conclusion > [adjective] > relating to final stage lastc1175 lattera1470 the world > existence and causation > existence > non-existence > [noun] > ending of existence > the last judgement > last days last daya1400 lattera1470 latter day1528 last times1611 a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 617 To begyn, the kyngis lettirs spake wondirly shorte... The lattir clause seyde that kynge Marke toke sir Trystram for his mortall enemy. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. ix. 94 At lattyr poynt [L. digressu supremo] quhen thai war to depart. ?1529 Proper Dyaloge Gentillman & Husbandman sig. A.j Youre fraudes allmoste at y^e latter cast. ?1559 Queen Elizabeth I Iniunctions sig. C.ii In the latter yeare of the raigne of Kynge Edwarde the syxte. 1594 C. Marlowe & T. Nashe Dido ii. sig. C1^v At whose latter gaspe Ioues marble statue gan to bend the brow. 1599 J. Marston Scourge of Villanie (new ed.) iii. Satyra Nova sig. H The latter page of old Pigmalion. a1673 T. Horton 100 Select Serm. (1679) xxv. 173/1 Christ..knew not the day and hour of the latter judgment. ?a1725 D. Culy Wks. (1726) iii. xv. 177 In our Death and latter Breath We do him glorify. 1816 T. Jefferson Writings (1830) IV. 296 All the latter years of aged men are overshadowed with its gloom. 1827 J. F. Cooper Red Rover II. xv. 243 His latter moment is indeed near. Shall I offer a prayer for the health of the departing spirit? 1864 Brit. Jrnl. Homœopathy 22 225 The bacteriæ always appeared first in the latter hours of life, most commonly four hours before death. 1938 Pittsburgh Courier 27 Aug. 14/2 Mr. Shuyler..is one of the false prophets predicted to appear in the latter times; he is an anti-Christ. 1983 Slavonic & East European Rev. 61 363 Having no heir he expended his latter breaths in entrusting his earthly dominions..to the Tsaritsa Irina. 2012 J. S. D. Eisenhower Refl. on Leadership ix. 134 In the latter weeks of World War II in Europe, he had been wounded by a German hand grenade. †B. adv. 1. Later; at a more advanced time or stage. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [adverb] > after, afterwards, or later sitheneOE aftereOE sithOE eftOE latterOE aftOE sithencea1170 sithrec1175 thereup?c1225 baftc1275 furtherc1290 eftsoon1297 therewithala1300 afterwardc1300 afterwardsc1300 soc1300 therewithc1369 eftersoonsa1400 suingly?a1425 at after1425 followingly?c1425 afterhand1438 syne1489 by posteriority1523 in sequel1524 still1526 later1527 subsequently1537 senthis?1553 lately1565 subsequent1568 behindc1600 sequelarly1600 posterior1628 in prosecutiona1641 subsequentiallya1683 artera1746 posteriorly1799 ulteriorly1818 later on1829 OE Rule St. Benet (Corpus Cambr.) xi. 36 Seo endebyrdnes sunnandaga uhtsanges sy gelice gehealden on ælcne timan,..butan hit færlice swa gelimpe, þæt man lator [a1225 Winteney læter; L. tardius] arise, þonne hit gebyrige. OE Byrhtferð Enchiridion (Ashm.) (1995) iii. i. 132 Lengten ne mæg beon ær v idus Februarii ne lator þonne ii idus Martii. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13206 Þohhwheþþre comm he lattre till. To lefenn upp o criste. a1225 (?OE) MS Vesp. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 231 Þa sende se king his ærndraches..to ȝelaðie þis folc; hwet bute icome, sum cofer, sum later, sum frend, sum fend. a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 131 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 167 Oþer raþer oðer later; milce he scal imeten. c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 1020 Horn was in þe watere; Ne miȝte he come no latere. c1330 Assumption of Virgin (Auch.) l. 635 in Englische Studien (1885) 8 455 Which manere miȝt hit be, Þat þou here seghe latter þan we? a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vii. xxxix. 387 Þe vreyne..meueþ in vncerteyne houres. For it comeþ somtyme raþer an [MS þan] somtyme latter. c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 22 (MED) Þe former bokis hadden not her fullist and parfitist filling and eending eer þan þe latter bigunne bokis were al moost eendid. 1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) v. xiv. f. cix The sone dependeth of the fader nouther more ne lesse neither latter ne rather than the fader. 1594 tr. A. Arnauld Arrainm. Whole Soc. Iesuits in France f. 28^v The time is come though it be latter than is for the honor of the reputation of Fraunce. 1657 W. Rand tr. P. Gassendi Mirrour of Nobility i. 73 Why he came latter then he was wont to do. 1698 J. Milner View Diss. upon Epist. ii. 58 As Scaliger fixes the Time latter than Pausanias, so Petavius sets it sooner. 2. More slowly; less readily. Also occasionally: less often, more rarely. Obsolete.See also never the latter adv. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > slowness of action or operation > [adverb] > more slowly lattera1225 a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 15 Eour eyþer sunegað bi-foran drihten and ec leter ȝe beoð sahte. c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. i. l. 173 Þat nis no treuþe of Trinite but tricherie of helle, And a leornyng for lewed men þe latere [c1400 Trin. Cambr. lattere, c1475 Douce latter] forte dele. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. vi. xx. 321 Som mete turneþ sone into blood..and som..turneþ latter [L. tardius] into blood. a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 217 Ful seelden it comeþ of colre, & more lattere [L. rarissime] of malancoli. c1475 ( Surg. Treat. in MS Wellcome 564 f. 34 (MED) Þese litil ribbis..þoruȝ þeir plicacioun & foldynge & litil resistence, þei schulden þe lattere be y-broken. a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 220 (MED) More latre Is he [sc. the Malencoly man] wourthe [= wroth] than a colerike man. C. n. With the or another determiner. The person(s) or thing(s) mentioned last; the second or last member of a specified pair or group. Use of the latter when referring to the last-mentioned member of a group of three or more (rather than the last), or to refer to a single antecedent which is not part of a group, has often been criticized as erroneous by usage writers: see quot. 1926 and Webster's Dict. Eng. Usage (1989) 458/2. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > [noun] > the latter or thing that is mentioned second aftereOE latter?c1225 this subsequenta1573 ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 70 Bacbiteres..beoð of twa maneres. ach þe latere is wurse. þe arre comeð al openlich... ach þe latere kimeð forð al on oðer wise. c1425 Concordance Wycliffite Bible in Speculum (1968) 43 272 Remissioun is ofte maad..fro such a synoneme til a-noþir; Sumtyme þe formere remittiþ to þe lattere, & sumtyme þe lattere remittiþ to þe formere. ?1548 tr. J. Calvin Faythfvl Treat. Sacrament sig. C.vi So that we come not, voyde of all faythe and repentance. Wherof the fyrst is hyd in y^e mind..The later is declared in action and worke. 1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 4^v I am neither so suspitious to mistrust your good will, nor so sottishe to mislike your good counsaile, as I am therefore to thancke you for the first, so it standes mee vppon to thincke better on the latter. 1621 P. Heylyn Microcosmus 51 Some following the Romish Synagogue, others the Reformed Church, these latter being called Hugonotts. 1628 O. Felltham Resolves: 2nd Cent. xxviii. sig. N5 The first hath more incertain'd honour; but lesse safety: The latter is humbly-secure. 1679 E. Young Serm. White-Hall 29 Dec. 1678 7 The Civilians distinguishing a Law into parts, the Preceptive Part,..and the Distributive Part,..are pleas'd to call this later the Sanction..of the Law. 1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 210 Lime and Wood are insociable, the former very much corrodeing and decaying the latter. 1798 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 1074/2 She had captured an English merchant ship.., and an American sloop; which latter was recaptured. 1815 J. C. Hobhouse Let. 28 June in Substance of Lett. (1816) II. xxv. 18 The three first were immediately adopted, the fourth was considered premature, but the latter received the unanimous support of the chamber. 1834 J. Howison European Colonies II. 348 The current of air..rushes..to fill up the vacuum thus produced. Should the latter be of small extent, it is supplied almost instantaneously. 1870 F. R. Wilson Archit. Surv. Churches Lindisfarne 99 A nave and chancel, with a small vestry on the north side of the latter. 1926 H. W. Fowler Dict. Mod. Eng. Usage 316/2 The latter should not be used when more than a pair are in question... Neither should it be used when less than two are in question. 1928 E. Ekwall Eng. River-names p. lxxiii British b, d, g were lenated to v, ð, ȝ, which latter often disappears. 1952 P. Heaton Cruising iv. 74 The skipper, or if the latter is the navigator, the bos'n, will be having a final look round. 2013 A. Adogame Afr. Christian Diaspora iv. 61 These [sc. churches]..draw their clientele from both Africans and non-Africans, although significantly more from the former than the latter. Compounds C1. Uses of the adverb preceding adjectives and past participles to form adjectives and nouns, as latter-born, latter-named, latter-mentioned, etc. ΚΠ 1598 H. Roberts Honours Conquest sig. M4 The latter borne, a stranger hence shall steale, By whom great good shall chance thy common weale. 1646 S. Rutherford Let. 30 Jan. in Joshua Redivivus (1664) 541 The latter born heirs have so much greater guiltiness. 1655 J. Lightfoot Harmony New-Test. ii. 119 Concerning both this and the latter named, they passed Festus his censure upon him. 1761 Earl of Pembroke Method Breaking Horses viii. 87 There should..be one forge-cart..appropriated to each squadron, and a third for the latter-mentioned purposes. 1763 R. Clarke Voice of Glad-tidings 227 The First-born and First-fruits imply the Necessity of the Latter-born and Latter-fruits. 1780 A. Young Tour Ireland 57 From Mullingar to Tullespace I found rents in general at 20s an acre... About the latter named place, the farms are generally from 100 to 300 acres. 1857 Notes & Queries 4 July 12/2 A gentleman..named all his latter born children ‘Jane’.., male or female. 1861 Phytologist 5 366 The bracts of the latter-mentioned are more acuminate than they are in the former. 1914 E. G. Bell Introd. Prose Romances Plays & Comedies of Bulwer 358 The habit and custom of a life made the latter-born the best beloved. 2002 L. Abbott & D. Seroff Out of Sight i. 58 The latter-named artists lived up to expectations. C2. Compounds of the adjective. latter end n. (a) the very end of a period, process, etc.; esp. the end of life, death; (also occasionally) the furthest point or extremity; (b) humorous the buttocks. ΘΚΠ the world > life > the body > external parts of body > trunk > back > buttock(s) > [noun] flitcha700 arse-endseOE culec1220 buttockc1300 tail1303 toutec1305 nagea1325 fundamentc1325 tail-end1377 brawna1382 buma1387 bewschers?a1400 crouponc1400 rumplec1430 lendc1440 nachec1440 luddocka1475 rearwarda1475 croupc1475 rumpc1475 dock1508 hurdies1535 bunc1538 sitting place1545 bottom?c1550 prat1567 nates1581 backside1593 crupper1594 posteriorums1596 catastrophe1600 podex1601 posterior1605 seat1607 poop1611 stern1631 cheek1639 breeka1642 doup1653 bumkin1658 bumfiddle1661 assa1672 butt1675 quarter1678 foundation1681 toby1681 bung1691 rear1716 fud1722 moon1756 derrière1774 rass1790 stern-post1810 sit-down1812 hinderland1817 hinderling1817 nancy1819 ultimatum1823 behinda1830 duff?1837 botty1842 rear end1851 latter end1852 hinder?1857 sit1862 sit-me-down1866 stern-works1879 tuchus1886 jacksy-pardy1891 sit-upon1910 can1913 truck-end1913 sitzfleisch1916 B.T.M.1919 fanny1919 bot1922 heinie1922 beam1929 yas yas1929 keister1931 batty1935 bim1935 arse-end1937 twat1937 okole1938 bahookie1939 bohunkus1941 quoit1941 patoot1942 rusty-dusty1942 dinger1943 jacksie1943 zatch1950 ding1957 booty1959 patootie1959 buns1960 wazoo1961 tush1962 c1300 St. Julian Confessor (Laud) 33 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 256 In þe latere ende of Ieneuer. c1392 [see sense A. 4]. c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Nun's Priest's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 385 For euere the latter [c1415 Lansd. later] ende of ioye is wo. a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) l. 2219 In þe laterhende of þe office. c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 3891 Him limpis all þe loose be þe lattire end. 1481 J. Dalton Let. 22 Sept. in Cely Lett. (1975) 113 They laytter end of the next weke I purpose into Flaunderes. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. ccxliij^v In y^e latter ende of this moneth. 1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 292 From the later ende of Marche vntill the later ende of July. 1629 W. Prynne Church of Englands Old Antithesis 82 What is the chiefe..ground..of most mens delaying amendment to their latter ends. 1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World xiii. 351 About the latter end of August. 1698 M. Henry Acct. Life P. Henry ii. 23 At the later end of the Year 1648, he had leave given him to make a visit to his Father at White-hall. 1710 S. Palmer Moral Ess. Prov. 247 Death..shou'd never be spoken of in jest: for a man may play with almost any thing safer than his latter-end. 1852 R. Coombes in Aquatic Notes Cambr. 104 Throw the body forward with a spring, as if your latter end was made of Indian-rubber. 1893 G. E. Matheson About Holland 10 The latter end of the Rhine is not so romantic..as its earlier career in Germany. 1923 Humorist 22 Sept. 212/1 Ye're no' as young as ye was. Dae ye no' think it's a peety to be approachin' your latter end without tryin' to acquire some general knowledge? 1928 P. C. Wren Beau Ideal xii. 233 The Angel of Death [sc. a belly dancer] (by means of a violent kick upon his latter end..), attracted the attention of our chaperon. 2007 Jrnl. Mod. Lit. 31 ii. 6 The spiritualist press..was a key precursor to the occult press of the latter end of the nineteenth century. † latter fair n. originally Scottish (Obsolete) the last or most recent of a series of fairs; (also) a fair held towards the end of the year. ΚΠ 1596 in R. Renwick Extracts Rec. Stirling (1887) I. 223 Rewynwies of the Latter Fair sett to Stewyne Aikmane for aucht pondis monie. 1672 Stirling Common Good f. 80 For proclaming the setts of the letter fair. 1843 Brit. Farmer's Market Jan. 469 Carlisle latter fair, on Monday the 19th of September, was but indifferently stored with beasts, especially with fat or those in good condition. 1900 Live Stock Jrnl. 7 Sept. 279/1 Carlisle auction market... Latter fair sale. lattermeat n. chiefly Scottish (now historical and rare) (a meal consisting of) food left over from the main household meal, given to servants and other dependants; second table; frequently attributive, as lattermeat hall, †latter-meat man, latter-meat room, †latter-meat table. ΚΠ a1450 Rule St. Benet (Vesp.) (1902) l. 1510 (MED) And who so þus salbe seruand May tak a sop wele be-for-hand, So þat þer penance bi not gret Forto bide til þe latter mete. c1475 in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (Harl. 642) (1790) 32 Kervers and cupberers..to sett in the hall at the furst or latter mete. 1609 S. Grahame Anat. Humors f. 12 The stomack of a latter-meate man, and the stomack of a dog, must be very like of disgesture. 1721 A. Ramsay Elegy Patie Birnie xv Ane's thrawart porter wadna let Him in while latter meat was hett. 1738 Caledonian Mercury 25 Dec. A large Kitchin.., pantry and Latter-meat Room. 1831 J. Logan Sc. Gaël II. iv. 130 In many parts of the North, that the Laird had his ‘latter meat table’, daily spread for all who chose to partake of his liberality. 1987 Rev. Sc. Culture 3 20 The inferior servants had their meals in the Lattermeat Hall. † lattermowth n. Obsolete a second or subsequent growth of hay or grass, after the first has been mown; = lattermath n.; cf. after-mowth n. at after- prefix 3, aftermath n. 1. ΚΠ 1661 T. Hall Expos. Prophecy Amos xii. 366 The vulgar Latine mistaking the Original, render it, Serotinus imber, the latter rain, but the word is, Lekesh, herba serotina, sive cordum) the latter mowth. 1711 J. Greenwood Ess. Pract. Eng. Gram. 175 Later-mow'th, the after-mowth, now call'd Math. 1861 Jackson's Oxf. Jrnl. 3 Aug. 4/5 (advt.) 2 acres of seed vetches, 5 acres of lattermowth clover, and a rick of very fine clover hay. latter wit n. English regional (chiefly Yorkshire) wisdom, a witty remark, etc., which occurs to a person after the event, typically too late to be of use; cf. after-wit n. 2, esprit de l'escalier n. at esprit n. 2c.In quot. 1750 as the name of a character. ΚΠ 1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 35. ⁋5 Thriftless and Latterwit, two smart fellows.] 1872 J. Hartley Orig. Illuminated Clock Almanack 47 (heading) Latter wit. 1886 J. Hartley Yorks. Tales 2nd Ser. 52 Aw allus do begin thinkin when it's too lat, for awm like mooast Yorksher fowk, awm troubled wi' latter wit. 1908 G. Seagram Bushmen All iii. 31 Being blessed—as befitted a Wiltshire lad—with ‘latter’ wit himself, he always knew what he ought to have said, when the opportunity for so doing had gone. 1963 E. M. Wilkinson In Praise of Aesthetics 12 The only kind of wit with which I am blessed is what we in the North call ‘latter wit’ (‘to be gifted with latter wit’, as we say, is the best equivalent I know for avoir l'esprit de l'escalier). This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022). < adj.adv.n.OE
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