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afterlife

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Etymology and origin of the English word afterlife

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1589 T. Nashe, “Anatomie of Absurditie”
Ultimate origin
English after-,life

Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈɑːftəˌlaɪf/[1]
  • US: /ˈæftɚˌlaɪf/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English after- + life,[2][3][4][5][6] and Etymonline also gives the hyphenated spelling.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The later part of a person's life; a later period in life: 1589, in T. Nashe's “Anatomie of Absurditie”.[2] Merriam-Webster's Unabridged also dates this sense to 1589.[4]

Semantic evolution

The sense of a life after death followed in 1598, in E. Blount's dedication to Marlowe's “Hero and Leander”, and was later used especially with the, for a state of everlasting life after death.[2] Etymonline gives "a future life", especially after the resurrection, from the 1590s,[3] and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate dates the word to about 1593.[7] Since 1948 it has also been used figuratively, of the continued or renewed use or influence of something,[2] such as a period of popularity that lasts longer than expected.[7][4] Modern dictionaries list the life after death first.[4][8]

Timeline

  • 1589 – the later part of a person's life.[2][4]
  • 1598 – a life after death.[2] Etymonline dates this sense to the 1590s.[3]
  • 1948 – figurative, continued or renewed use or influence.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Life or existence after death: Many ancient peoples buried tools with the dead for use in the afterlife.[4][8][2]
  2. A later period in one's life.[4][8][2]
  3. A period of continued or renewed use, influence or popularity beyond what is usual or expected: The band's early records found an afterlife online.[4][7][2]
  • after
  • life

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  8. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Afterlife.” Etymologically, 31 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/afterlife. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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