aftermath

English

Etymology

From after- +‎ math (a mowing).

Pronunciation

  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈæf.tɚˌmæθ/
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈɑːf.təˌmæθ/, /ˈɑːf.təˌmɑːθ/, /ˈæf.təˌmæθ/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

aftermath (plural aftermaths)

  1. That which happens after, that which follows, usually of strongly negative connotation in most contexts, implying a preceding catastrophe.
    Synonym: lattermath (uncommon)
    Antonyms: foremath (uncommon), beforemath (uncommon)
    In contrast to most projections of the aftermath of nuclear war, in this there is no rioting or looting.
    • 2024 September 11, Richard Brody, ““Winner” Takes Political Comedy Seriously”, in The New Yorker[1], archived from the original on 20 September 2024:
      Fogel, working with a script by the journalist Kerry Howley, follows Winner from the age of nine to the aftermath of her plea, and organizes the movie around voice-over reminiscences by Reality (the character is played by Emilia Jones).
  2. (obsolete, agriculture) A second mowing; the grass which grows after the first crop of hay in the same season.
    Synonyms: lattermath (archaic), rowen (archaic)
    Antonyms: foremath (archaic), beforemath (archaic)
    • 1879, Robert Louis Stevenson, Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes:
      They were cutting aftermath on all sides, which gave the neighbourhood, this gusty autumn morning, an untimely smell of hay.

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