after-

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

after-

Where it comes from

From after (adverb and preposition), and also continuing Middle English after-, efter-, æfter-, from Old English æfter- (“after, behind, against”). Cognate with Scots efter-, West Frisian efter-, Dutch achter-, German after-, Swedish efter-. More at after.

prefix

idiomatic, morpheme, rare With contrary, subordinate, or remote effect, denoting hindrance, setback, inferiority, etc. after- + deal → afterdeal
morpheme With adverbial or adjectival effect, forming compound words indicating something that comes afterwards in spacial position. after- + deck → afterdeck
Similar: post- · Opposite: pre-, ante-, fore-
morpheme With prepositional effect, forming compound words denoting something which follows the second element of the compound, and is less intense or significant. after- + glow → afterglow
morpheme With prepositional effect, forming compound words denoting follows and is a result of the second element of the compound. after- + birth → afterbirth

Talk about this word

Cite this

MLA

"after-." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/after-. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

after-. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/after-

Chicago

"after-." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/after-.

BibTeX

@misc{after_2026,
  title = {after-},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/after-},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}