posterior

[ po-steer-ee-er, poh- ]
See synonyms for posterior on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. situated behind or at the rear of; hinder (opposed to anterior).

  2. coming after in order, as in a series.

  1. coming after in time; later; subsequent (sometimes followed by to).

  2. Anatomy, Zoology.

    • (in quadrupeds) pertaining to or toward the rear or caudal end of the body.

    • (in humans and other primates) pertaining to or toward the back plane of the body, equivalent to the dorsal surface of quadrupeds.

  3. Botany. toward the back and near the main axis, as the upper lip of a flower.

noun
  1. the hinder parts or rump of the body; buttocks.

Origin of posterior

1
1525–35; <Latin, comparative of posterus coming after, derivative of post after

synonym study For posterior

1. See back1.

Other words from posterior

  • pos·te·ri·or·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use posterior in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for posterior

posterior

/ (pɒˈstɪərɪə) /


adjective
  1. situated at the back of or behind something

  2. coming after or following another in a series

  1. coming after in time

  2. zoology (of animals) of or near the hind end

  3. botany (of a flower) situated nearest to the main stem

  4. anatomy dorsal or towards the spine

noun
  1. the buttocks; rump

  2. statistics a posterior probability

Origin of posterior

1
C16: from Latin: latter, from posterus coming next, from post after

Derived forms of posterior

  • posteriorly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012