different between ahead vs after

English

Etymology

a- +? head

(nautical) Beyond the head (of a ship). This may have drifted into more general English usage where it is used to describe something as being 'in front of'.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??h?d/
• Rhymes: -?d
• Hyphenation: ahead

Adverb

ahead (not comparable)

1. In or to the front; in advance; onward.

2. In the direction one is facing or moving.

3. In or for the future.

4. At an earlier time.

5. Having progressed more.

Antonyms

• (nautical) astern
• behind

Hyponyms

• straight ahead

Derived terms

• ahead of time
• go-ahead

Related terms

• ahead of

Translations

Anagrams

• aahed

English

Etymology

From Middle English after, from Old English æfter, from Proto-Germanic *after, *aftiri, from Proto-Indo-European *h?epotero- (“further behind, further away”), from *h?epo (“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/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...”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?æf.t?(?)/, (trap-bath split) /???f.t?(?)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?æf.t?/
• Hyphenation: af?ter

Adverb

after (not comparable)

1. Behind; later in time; following.

Derived terms

Translations

Preposition

after

1. Subsequently to; following in time; later than.
2. Behind.
3. In pursuit of, seeking.

4. In allusion to, in imitation of; following or referencing.
   • 1735, The Sportsman's Dictionary

     Work your horse in a calade, after the Italian way; ride him straight, and then you make good use of the calade.

5. Next in importance or rank.

6. As a result of.

7. In spite of.

   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
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.
    • 1623, Francis Bacon, A Discourse of a War with Spain

      He takes greatness of kingdoms according to bulk and currency, and not after their intrinsic value.

Usage notes

• The Irish English usage example is equivalent to "I had just finished my dinner when […] .".

Synonyms

• post

Derived terms

Translations

Conjunction

after

1. Signifies that the action of the clause it starts takes place before the action of the other clause.
   • 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?

Translations

Adjective

after

1. (dated) Later; second (of two); next, following, subsequent
   • 1834, David Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of, Nebraska 1987, page 72:

     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.

   • 1886, Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge

     The amends he had made in after life were lost sight of in the dramatic glare of the original act.
2. (nautical, where the frame of reference is within the ship) At or towards the stern of a ship.

Usage notes

• As shown in the examples above, the adverb in this nautical usage is aft and the related preposition is abaft.

Derived terms

• afterness
• after-party

Related terms

• aft
• abaft
• eft

References

• Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

Anagrams

• aftre, frate, freat, freta, rafte, trafe

German

Etymology

From Middle High German after, from Old High German after.

Preposition

after (governs the dative)

1. (chiefly Early New High German) after
   • 1853, Gustav Eduard Benseler, Geschichte Freibergs und seines Bergbaues. Erste Abtheilung, Freiberg, pg. 251:

     Nun fragte der Forderer weiter an: wer irgend einen von ihnen after dem Tage hause oder hofe, d. h. zu Hause oder Hofe beherberge, wie der ihm zu Rechte bestanden sein. [...] Auf die fernere Frage des Forderers: ob er ihrer einen after dem Tage ansichtig werde, wie oder mit wem er sie aufhalten sollte, erklärte man ihm […]

Middle Dutch

Preposition

after

1. (Holland) Alternative form of achter

Adverb

after

1. (Holland) Alternative form of achter

Middle High German

Etymology

From Old High German after.

Preposition

after (+ dative)

1. after

Old High German

Alternative forms

• aftar, efter

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *after, whence also Old English æfter, Old Norse aptr. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h?epótero- (“further behind, further away”), comparative form of *apo- (“off, behind”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?af.ter/

Preposition

after (+ dative)

1. after

2. according to, in

Adverb

after

1. behind
2. after
3. back

References

• Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?af?n/

Etymology 1

Adjective

after

1. comparative degree of aft

Etymology 2

Adverb

after (comparative aftener, superlative aftenest)

1. often, frequently

References

• Eagle, Andy, ed. (2016) The Online Scots Dictionary, Scots Online.

Spanish

Etymology

From English after[-party].

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?afte?/, [?af.t?e?]

Noun

after m (plural afters)

1. after-party
2. late-night bar

West Frisian

Preposition

after

1. Alternative form of achter