After

How to spell after

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce after

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does after mean?

1. prepositionIn the time following an event; later than; or behind in order or position.

After in a sentence

• We'll go after lunch.

• I'll call you after I finish work.

Where does after come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word comes from Old English aefter, meaning 'behind in place or time', which traces back to the Germanic root aft, meaning 'behind' or 'to the rear'. That root is built from a base meaning 'off' or 'away' with a comparative ending, so the original sense was literally 'more to the back'. The same aft survives today in nautical English, where the aft of a ship is its rear, and in 'abaft', meaning toward the stern. Because the word has stayed close to its plain Germanic ancestors for over a thousand years, the spelling is simple and stable, with no silent letters or borrowed quirks. Its everyday use for both following in time and following in position has continued unbroken since the earliest English texts.

How the word is built

• aft (behind, to the rear)
• -er (comparative suffix, here meaning 'more toward the back')