later

A1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈleɪ.tɚ/ UK /ˈleɪ.tə/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like letter /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

Freq #355

Meanings

1

adv
At some time in the future; after now.

I'll finish the report later.
2

adv
After a particular point in time.

My roommate arrived first; I arrived later.
3

adj
Coming after something else in time.

The Victorian era is a later period than the Elizabethan era.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adv · at some time in the future;... later on

2 adv · after a particular point in... afterwards

More hereafter someday subsequently

Opposites

earlier once

Word family

Derived forms neverthelater

Appears in

Proverbs (5)

See all

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”).

later Middle English lator Old English lætra Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# later

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** adv, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈleɪ.tɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈleɪ.tə/
**Frequency rank:** 355

## Meanings
1. At some time in the future; after now.
2. After a particular point in time.
3. Coming after something else in time.

## Examples
- I'll finish the report later.
- My roommate arrived first; I arrived later.
- The Victorian era is a later period than the Elizabethan era.

## Synonyms
- hereafter
- someday
- subsequently

## Antonyms
- earlier
- once

## Derived Forms
- neverthelater

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: later
- Root: lator
- Root: lætra

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Later has separate etymological analyses: 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”). The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adverbial form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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