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later

adv
/ˈleɪ.tə/UK/ˈleɪ.tɚ/US

Etymology

* Adverb: From Middle English later, latere, from Old English lator, equivalent to late + -er. * Adjective: From Middle English later, latere, from Old English lætra, equivalent to late + -er. Cognate with Saterland Frisian leeter (“later”), West Frisian letter (“later”), Dutch later (“later”), German Low German later (“later”).

  1. inherited from lætra
  2. inherited from lator
  3. inherited from later

Definitions

  1. comparative form of late

    comparative form of late: more late

    • You came in late yesterday and today you came in even later.

  2. Afterward in time (used with than when comparing with another time).

    • My roommate arrived first. I arrived later.
    • I arrived later than my roommate.

  3. At some unspecified time in the future.

    • I wanted to do it now, but I’ll have to do it later.
  4. ›+ 5 more definitions

    1. What if (something problematic or unanticipated happens)

      What if (something problematic or unanticipated happens); if not (something undesirable will happen).

      • Compare Malay nanti (“later; if not”)
      • Later you fall asleep how?

    2. Coming afterward in time (used with than when comparing with another time).

      • The Victorian era is a later period of English history than the Elizabethan era.
      • The eldest son was usually given the name of his paternal grandfather, later children those of other relatives.

    3. Coming afterward in distance (following an antecedent distance as embedded within an…

      Coming afterward in distance (following an antecedent distance as embedded within an adverbial phrase)

      • I felt some leg pain during the first mile of my run and I strained my calf two miles later.

    4. At some time in the future.

      • The meeting was adjourned to a later date.

    5. See you later

      See you later; goodbye.

      • Later, dude.

The neighborhood

Derived

catch you later, I kill you later, neverthelater, no later than, you later alligator, shoot first and ask questions later, smell ya later, smell you later, sooner rather than later, sooner than later, to be named later

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for later. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA