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posthumous

[ pos-chuh-muh s, -choo- ]
/ ˈpɒs tʃə məs, -tʃʊ- /
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adjective

arising, occurring, or continuing after one's death: a posthumous award for bravery.
published after the death of the author: a posthumous novel.
born after the death of the father.

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RELATED WORDS

post-mortem, post-obit

Nearby words

  1. posthioplasty,
  2. posthitis,
  3. posthole,
  4. posthole digger,
  5. postholith,
  6. posthypnotic,
  7. posthypnotic suggestion,
  8. posthypoglycemic hyperglycemia,
  9. postical,
  10. postiche

Origin of posthumous

1600–10; < Latin postumus last-born, born after the death of the father (in form a superlative of posterus; see posterior); post-classical spelling with h by association with humus ground, earth, as if referring to burial
Related formspost·hu·mous·ly, adverbpost·hu·mous·ness, nounnon·post·hu·mous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for posthumous

British Dictionary definitions for posthumous

posthumous

/ (ˈpɒstjʊməs) /

adjective

happening or continuing after one's death
(of a book, etc) published after the author's death
(of a child) born after the father's death
Derived Formsposthumously, adverb

Word Origin for posthumous

C17: from Latin postumus the last, but modified as though from Latin post after + humus earth, that is, after the burial
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

Word Origin and History for posthumous

posthumous

adj.

mid-15c., "born after the death of the originator" (author or father), from Late Latin posthumus, from Latin postumus "last, last-born," superlative of posterus "coming after, subsequent" (see posterior). Altered in Late Latin by association with Latin humare "to bury," suggesting death; the one born after the father's death obviously being the last. An Old English word for this was æfterboren, literally "after-born." Related: Posthumously.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper