after
Following in time or place; behind.
Etymology
Modern English after comes from Old English æfter "behind, following," from Proto-Germanic *after, a comparative form derived from PIE *h₂epo meaning "off, away" (with a comparative suffix *-tero-). The same PIE root produced Greek apó "away from" (giving English apostle, apology, apocalypse), Latin ab "from" (giving English absent, abstract, absolute), and Sanskrit ápa "away." The comparative suffix created a word meaning "more off" or "further away," which shifted to the temporal sense of "later." Within English, aft (the back of a ship — the "away" end) is a shortened form. Afternoon, afterthought, aftermath (originally the second mowing of grass — the mowing "after"), and afterlife are all compounds. German after once meant "behind" but is now archaic, while Dutch achter "behind" preserves the spatial sense.
The Journey: *h₂epo → after
*h₂epo
*after
æfter
after
after
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *h₂epo. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Greek | apó | away from |
| Latin | ab | from, away |
| Sanskrit | ápa | away |
| Dutch | achter | behind |
| Gothic | aftra | back, again |
Did You Know?
The word aftermath has nothing to do with mathematics. It comes from after + mæþ "mowing" — the second mowing of grass in a season. An aftermath was literally the new growth that springs up after the first hay harvest. The grim modern sense of "consequences of disaster" developed only in the 17th century.