Picture two things lined up on a single track, and 'after' marks the one that comes behind — the later one in time, the further one in a sequence, the one trailing along the path. Almost everything 'after' does is this one picture of 'coming behind / following along' applied to time, to order, to space, and then stretched into 'chasing what's ahead' and 'because of what came before'.
From the word’s history
'after' comes from Old English 'aefter' — a comparative form related to 'of/off', carrying the sense 'further behind, more away'. The 'behind / following' core is built right into the word.
after 來自古英語 aefter，是與 of／off 相關的比較級形式，本身就帶著「更後面、更離開」的意味。「跟在後頭」這個核心，其實是字源裡就有的。
Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), entry 'after'
登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。
原始詞典資料19 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
afteradv/ˈɑːftə/
- 1
Behind; later in time; following.
- I left the room, and the dog bounded after.
- They lived happily ever after.
afterprep/ˈɑːftə/
- 1
Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
- We had a few beers after the game.
- The time is a quarter after eight.
- 2
Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
- Sucess comes after hard work.
- 3
Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
- I’m not putting you in charge again after the last disaster.
- 4
Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
- After all that has happened, he is still my friend.
- I can’t believe that, after all our advice against gambling, you walked into that casino!
- 5
Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
- I'm tired of picking up after you. Why can't you clean your own messes?
- 6
Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
- day after day, time after time, mile after mile, beer after beer, smile after smile
- Paper after paper spells out how vulnerable we are to internet-induced brain rot.
- 7
Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
- I was after finishing my dinner when there was a knock on the door. [= I had just finished my dinner when ...]
- He was after walking on the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before, all the way from the County Limerick, where his brother, Father John, has a parish; and you may believe, the poor man was tired
- 8
Behind.
- He will leave a trail of destruction after him.
- I told her to shut the door after her.
另外 6 個記錄的用法
- 9
In pursuit of, seeking; denoting the aim or object.
- run after him; he’s after a job; to thirst after righteousness
- 10
Concerning; in relation to.
- to enquire after a friend; to ask after her health
- 11
In allusion to, in imitation of; following or referencing.
- We named him after his grandfather.
- This painting is after Leonardo da Vinci.
- 12
Below, often next below, in importance or rank.
- The princess is next in line to the throne after the prince.
- 13
obsoleteAccording to (an author or text).
- 14
obsoleteAccording to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting.
- He takes greatness of kingdoms according to bulk and currency, and not after their intrinsic value.
afterconj/ˈɑːftə/
- 1
Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause.
- The show ends after the fat lady sings.
- After we had decided to call it a day, I went home.
afteradj/ˈɑːftə/
- 1
datedLater; second (of two); next, following, subsequent
- I did verily believe in my own mind, that I couldn't fight in that way at all; but my after experience convinced me that this was all a notion.
- The amends he had made in after life were lost sight of in the dramatic glare of the original act.
- 2
At or towards the stern of a ship or the rear of an aircraft.
- The after gun is mounted aft.
- The after gun is abaft the forward gun.
afternoun/ˈɑːftə/
- 1
Of before-and-after images: the one that shows the difference after a specified treatment.
- In the ‘before’ shots, she’ll look like an ordinary suburban housewife; but we know she acts in community theater musicals sometimes, so the ‘afters’ will give her a glamorous starlet image, starting with a very revealing bathing suit shot.
- Did any of the before pictures remind you of yourself, and did any of the afters show what you hoped your results might be?
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。