posterus

Forms

posterus (feminine postera, neuter posterum, comparative posterior, superlative postrēmus or postumus); first/second-declension adjective^[1] The masculine nominative singular is not in use.^[2] Tacitus has a genitive plural posterum.^[3]

Etymology

It is the old comparative of post (“after, behind”), inherited from Proto-Italic *post-ero- (“later”), from Proto-Indo-European *pos (“after”), extended with ⟨*-ti⟩.^[4][1] Sabellic has matching forms, such as Oscan pústiris (“later”).^[4] The comparative posterior is a later formation built on it, and the superlative postrēmus continues ⟨*poster-isamo-⟩.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from the Twelve Tables.^[5] The historian Sisenna has posterō diē, “on the next day”.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Posterus is “coming after, future, later” (Lucretius: posteră saecla, “later ages”, Horace: usque ego posterā crēscam laude, “I shall grow ever fresh in the praise of later ages”), and “next, following”, as in posterō diē and posterō annō.^[3][2][1] In the masculine plural posterī are descendants, posterity (Plautus: honōrī posterōrum tuōrum, “for the honour of your descendants”).^[3][6] In posterum is “for the future”.^[6]

Wiktionary gives a Late Latin sense “inferior”.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 450 BC – In the Twelve Tables.^[5]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus: honōrī posterōrum tuōrum.^[3][5]
• 96–55 BC – Lucretius: posteră saecla.^[3][5]
• 65–8 BC – Horace: posterā … laude.^[3][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Coming after, future, later.^[3][2][1][6]
2. Next, following.^[3][1][6]
3. in posterum: for the future.^[6]
4. (Late Latin) inferior.^[1]

Noun

1. posterī (plural): descendants, posterity.^[3][6]

Word family

• posterī
• posteritās
• posterula
• postrīdiē
• postrīduō
• praeposterus
• posterius

Related words

• post
• posterior
• postrēmus
• postumus

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
5. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e f Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson