after

Etymology

From Middle English after, from Old English æfter, from Proto-West Germanic *aftar, from Proto-Germanic *after, *aftiri, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂epotero- (“further behind, further away”), from *h₂epo (“off, away”). Cognate with Scots efter (“after”), North Frisian efter (“after, behind”), West Frisian after, achter, efter (“behind; after”), Low German/Dutch achter (“behind”), German after- (“after-”), Swedish/Norwegian/Danish efter (“after”), Norwegian etter (“after”), Icelandic eftir (“after”), aftur (“back, again”). The Irish usage to indicate recent completion of an activity is a calque of the Irish collocation Táim tar éis... (“I have just...”, literally “I am after...”).

adv

1. Behind; later in time; following.
   I left the room, and the dog bounded after.
   They lived happily ever after.
   I might come next month, or the month after.

prep

1. Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
   We had a few beers after the game.
   The time is quarter after eight.
   The Cold War began shortly after WWII.
   After you with the salt/paper.
   I told her to shut the door after her.
   After early sparring, Spurs started to take control as the interval approached and twice came close to taking the lead. Terry blocked Rafael van der Vaart's header on the line and the same player saw his cross strike the post after Adebayor was unable to apply a touch. April 15, 2012, Phil McNulty, “Tottenham 1-5 Chelsea”, in BBC
   From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away. 2013-06-08, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52
   1. (in reduplicative expressions) Repeatedly, seemingly is a sequence without end.
      day after day, time after time, mile after mile, beer after beer, smile after smile
2. Behind.
   He will leave a trail of destruction after him.
3. In pursuit of, seeking.
   He's after a job; run after him; inquire after her health.
4. In allusion to, in imitation of; following or referencing.
   We named him after his grandfather; a painting after Leonardo da Vinci.
   Work your horse in a calade, after the Italian way; ride him straight, and then you make good use of the calade. 1735, The Sportsman's Dictionary
5. Next in importance or rank.
   The princess is next in line to the throne after the prince.
6. As a result of.
   After your bad behaviour, you will be punished.
7. In spite of.
   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!
8. (Ireland, usually preceded by a form of be, followed by an -ing form of a verb) Used to indicate recent completion of an activity
   I was after finishing my dinner when there was a knock on the door.
   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 1875, Patrick Kennedy, Evenings in the Duffrey, page 283
   Mother: Let him get away out of this now, himself and his share of songs. Look at the way he has your bib destroyed that I was after washing in the morning! 1906, Lady Gregory, “A Miracle Play”, in The Shanachie, volume 1
   When I woke up it was black-dark and the music was after stopping. I could taste the bread I was after eating in the dream, as sweet and luscious as any I ever knew 2004, Joseph O'Connor, Star of the Sea, page 40
   He asked directions to the dairy those milk cans had shown up late at. Corrigan pointed back the way he'd come and explained, “You'd have been after riding past their loading platform because they don't have their sign overlooking where the train would be after stopping. 2004, Tabor Evans, Longarm and the Great Milk Train Robbery
   "Yes. And where were you when the flood broke loose?" / "I would be most of the way to the Old House then. O'Loughlin was after running in wild to tell me he was hearing the Banshee out at The Old House, […]." 2008, M. P. Shiel, The Black Box, page 45
9. (dated) According to an author or text.
10. Denoting the aim or object; concerning; in relation to.
    to look after workmen; to enquire after a friend; to thirst after righteousness
11. (obsolete) According to the direction and influence of; in proportion to; befitting.

conj

1. Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause.
   I went home after we had decided to call it a day.
   1991, Donald "Shadow" Rimgale (character), Robert DeNiro (actor), Backdraft So you punched out a window for ventilation. Was that before or after you noticed you were standing in a lake of gasoline?
   Plant breeding is always a numbers game.[…]The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, […]. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better. These rarities may be new mutations, or they can be existing ones that are neutral—or are even selected against—in a wild population. A good example is mutations that disrupt seed dispersal, leaving the seeds on the heads long after they are ripe. 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3

adj

1. (dated) Later; 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. 1834, David Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of, Nebraska, published 1987, page 72
   The amends he had made in after life were lost sight of in the dramatic glare of the original act. 1886, Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge
2. (nautical, where the frame of reference is within the ship) At or towards the stern of a ship.
   The after gun is mounted aft.
   The after gun is abaft the forward gun.
   Caspian led them down a ladder into the after hatch. 1952, C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader