late
//leɪt//
Forms
- Comparative
- later
- Superlative
- latest
- Comparative
- later
- Superlative
- latest
- Plural
- lates
Definitions
1.Near the end of a period of time.
- The meeting is convened for late morning.
- In Southern U.S., "evening" is used for middle to late afternoon.
- The seedlings appeared to be coming along nicely until a late frost killed them.
2.Specifically, near the end of the day.
- It was getting late and I was tired.
3.Associated with the end of a period.
- Late Latin is less fully inflected than Classical Latin.
4.Not arriving or occurring until after an expected time.
- The heavy snow made all the trains late.
- The flowers were late in blooming because of the prolonged cold weather.
- Panos was so late that he arrived at the meeting after Antonio, who had the excuse of being in hospital for most of the night.
1.After a deadline has passed, past a designated time.
- We drove as fast as we could, but we still arrived late.
2.Formerly, especially in the context of service in a military unit.
- Linda Smith, late of 13 Oxford Street.
- The Hendersons will all be there / Late of Pablo Fanque's Fair / What a scene!
- Colonel Easterwood, late of the 34th Carbines, was a guest at the dinner party.
3.Not long ago; just now, recently.
1.A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place late in the day or at night.(informal)
- At about 11 pm one night in Corporation Street my watch were on van patrol and Yellow Watch were on late as usual.
Frequency
Overall
Very common· #401
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Common
- General reading & writing
- Very common
- Academic
- Uncommon
- Literature
- Uncommon
Related words
Etymology
From Middle English late, lat, from Old English læt (“slow; slack, lax, negligent; late”), from Proto-West Germanic *lat, from Proto-Germanic *lataz (“slow, lazy”). By surface analysis, deverbal from let.
Cognates