posthumous

adjective

post·​hu·​mous ˈpäs-chə-məs How to pronounce posthumous (audio)
 also  -tə-,
-tyə-,
-thə-;
päst-ˈhyü-məs,
ˈpōst-,
-ˈyü- How to pronounce posthumous (audio)
1
: born after the death of the father
2
: published after the death of the author
3
: following or occurring after death
posthumous fame
posthumousness noun

Did you know?

The etymology of the word posthumous tells a complex story. In Latin, posterus is an adjective meaning "coming after" (from post, meaning "after"). The comparative form of posterus is posterior, and its superlative form is postumus, which means, among other things, "last." Postumus had specific application in referring to the last of a man's children, which in some cases meant those born after he had died. Latin speakers incorrectly identified the -umus in this word with humus, meaning "dirt" or "earth" (suggesting the ground in which the unfortunate father now lay). The Latin spelling became posthumus, as if the word were formed from post and humus, and both the "h" and the suggestion of "after burial" or "after death" carried over into English.

Did you know?

Where does posthumous come from?

Readers who are looking for the origins of the word posthumous may be interested to know that it is an example of a folk etymology. A folk etymology involves the respelling or changing of an unfamiliar word (often one borrowed from another language) to make it resemble an unrelated but better-known word or words. The classic example in English is cockroach, which was formed by substituting the English words cock (the name of a bird) and roach (the name of a fish) for the similar-sounding but totally unrelated Spanish word for a bug, cucaracha.
Posthumous comes from the Latin posthumus, which is itself an alteration of postumus ("born after the father's death"). It is thought that the word humus (meaning "dirt, earth" in Latin) was substituted for -umus in the mistaken belief that the word's final element had something to do with the soil in a grave.

Examples of posthumous in a Sentence

She received a posthumous award for her life of philanthropy. the soldier was awarded a posthumous medal for valor
Recent Examples on the Web Just as Tyson’s costar Paul Winfield had been nominated for Best Actor, Davis’ Ma Rainey costar Boseman earned a posthumous Best Actor nomination. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 15 Mar. 2024 Now, Bleach Lab has released their newest album Lost In A Rush of Emptiness, a title aptly borrowed from a line in Leonard Cohen’s posthumous collection The Flame. Spin Contributor, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024 The posthumous novel emerged from the manuscripts thanks to the fine-tuning of publisher and literary agent Cristóbal Pera, who edited the last two books García Márquez published during his lifetime. Pau Mosquera and Oscar Holland, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 The novel adds an unexpected coda to the life and work of García Márquez, a literary giant and Nobel laureate, and will likely stir questions about how literary estates and publishers should navigate posthumous releases that contradict a writer’s directives. Alexandra Alter, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 In 2022, the Quintanilla family announced the release of a posthumous album titled Moonchild Mixes. Selena Barrientos, Peoplemag, 16 Feb. 2024 The ceremony also featured a posthumous recognition of musician Robbie Robertson, who was given the Icon Award in celebration of his contributions to the music and film industries. Jaden Thompson, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Obama awarded Rustin a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. Leanne Italie, Quartz, 2 Mar. 2024 Composer Robbie Robertson passed away last year and earned a posthumous nomination for scoring the film. Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'posthumous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin posthumus, alteration of postumus late-born, posthumous, from superlative of posterus coming after — more at posterior

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of posthumous was in 1608

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Dictionary Entries Near posthumous

Cite this Entry

“Posthumous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/posthumous. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

posthumous

adjective
post·​hu·​mous ˈpäs-chə-məs How to pronounce posthumous (audio)
1
: born after the death of the father
a posthumous son
2
: published after the death of the author
3
: following or occurring after one's death
posthumous fame
a posthumous award
posthumously adverb

Medical Definition

posthumous

adjective
post·​hu·​mous
ˈpäs-chə-məs also -t(y)ə-
1
: born after the death of the father
2
: following or occurring after death
posthumously adverb

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