aftermath
noun
called also rowen
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Breaking Down Aftermath
At first glance, one might calculate aftermath to be closely related to mathematics and its cropped form math. But the math of mathematics (which came to English ultimately from Greek) and the math of aftermath grew from different roots. Aftermath dates to the late 1400s and was originally an agricultural term, an offshoot of the ancient word math, meaning “a mowing.” The original aftermath came, of course, after the math: it was historically the crop cut, grazed, or plowed under after the first crop of the season from the same soil. (Math is still used in some parts of the United Kingdom to refer to a mowing of a grass or hay crop, as well as to the crop that is mowed.) It wasn’t until the mid-1600s that aftermath came to have the meanings now familiar to us, referring to the period of time following a destructive event, or to a negative consequence or result.
Synonyms
Examples of aftermath in a Sentence
Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2024
It was created in response to the significant loss of life among untrained volunteer rescuers in the aftermath of the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024
In the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol,federal prosecutors had to decide what charges to bring against hundreds of participants in the pro-Trump mob thatdisrupted the certification of a presidential election for the first time in U.S. history.
—Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
The House of Representatives is shifting its schedule for the coming week to consider legislation supporting Israel in the aftermath of Iran launching drones toward Israel on Saturday, marking a significant escalation in the Middle East conflict.
—Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 13 Apr. 2024
Because Epic’s asking for those and a whole lot more in the aftermath of Epic v. Google.
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
In the aftermath of her death, Arthur is living an itinerant existence in a shack near Flora’s estate; both his hovel and her grand but desolate home are tombs of their own, waiting to be plundered thousands of years in the future by some other brave troupe.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
In the aftermath of the gambling scandal, questions arose about Mizuhara’s resume, as cited in news stories and the Angels media guide.
—Tony Saavedra, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
Countries that are geographically closer to the EU’s southern borders, like Greece, Italy and Malta, have seen vast numbers of people coming from the Middle East and North Africa in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and Syrian civil war.
—Luke McGee, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aftermath.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
after- + math "mowing," going back to Middle English *math, going back to a short-vowel variant (perhaps of Germanic date) of Old English mǣþ, going back to Germanic *mēþa- (whence Old Saxon mād- —in māddag "mowing day"—, Old High German āmād "aftermath"), derivative with the nominal suffix *-to- from the base of *mēan- "to mow entry 2"
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Aftermath.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aftermath. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
aftermath
noun
Old English mæth "mowing," from māwan "to mow"
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