ENGLISH
REFERENCE

posthumous

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˈpɑstʃʊməs// UK //pˈəʊsthjuːməs// post·hu·mous

adj. happening or published after someone has died. You use this to describe things like books, awards, or babies that come into the world after the person is gone.

adj. occurring or published after the death of the person in question. Often used to describe creative works, awards, or offspring released or recognized after the individual's passing.


SIMPLE

The author received a posthumous award for his life's work.

CONTEXTUAL

The baby was born posthumously, just hours after her mother passed away in the hospital.

COMPLEX

The novel was published posthumously, revealing a series of personal letters that had been hidden for decades and providing new insight into the author's final years.

Origin

From Latin posthumus, a variant spelling of postumus, superlative form of posterus (“coming after”), the ⟨h⟩ added by association with humus (“ground, earth”) referring to burial.

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