喜樂美語

Further along the timeline — at a point after the moment you're standing on.

可以想成一條由左往右流的時間線：你現在站在某一點上，later 就是那一點再往右、往後的位置。它本來是 late（晚）的比較級——「比這個時間點更晚」。不管當副詞講「等一下、之後」，還是當形容詞講「後面的、較近期的」，畫面都是同一個：在時間軸上往後挪一格。

From the word’s history

Comparative of 'late' (Old English læt 'slow, tardy'); 'later' = 'more late', i.e. further on in time.

later 是 late（晚）的比較級，字面就是「更晚」。古英語 læt 有「慢、遲」的意思，比較級加上去就成了「在時間上更往後」——這正是今天每個用法的共同底色。

Online Etymology Dictionary (etymonline.com), 'late' / 'later'

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

同家族的字

意思相近

afterwardsfollowingsubsequentlysubsequentin a whilefuturenewermore recentupdated

意思相反

earliernowprevioussoonerformerolderoriginal

原始詞典資料9 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。

lateradv/ˈleɪ.tə/

  • 1

    Afterward in time (used with than when comparing with another time).

    • My roommate arrived first. I arrived later.
    • I arrived later than my roommate.
  • 2

    At some unspecified time in the future.

    • I wanted to do it now, but I’ll have to do it later.
  • 3

    What if (something problematic or unanticipated happens); if not (something undesirable will happen).

    • Compare Malay nanti (“later; if not”)
    • Later you fall asleep how?

lateradj/ˈleɪ.tə/

  • 1

    Coming afterward in time (used with than when comparing with another time).

    • The Victorian era is a later period of English history than the Elizabethan era.
    • The eldest son was usually given the name of his paternal grandfather, later children those of other relatives.
  • 2

    Coming afterward in distance (following an antecedent distance as embedded within an adverbial phrase)

    • I felt some leg pain during the first mile of my run and I strained my calf two miles later.
  • 3

    At some time in the future.

    • The meeting was adjourned to a later date.

laterintj/ˈleɪ.tə/

  • 1

    slangSee you later; goodbye.

    • Later, dude.

這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形：

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。