Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Occurring or continuing after one's death.
  • adjective Published after the writer's death.
  • adjective Born after the death of the father.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Born after the death of the father: as, a posthumous son.
  • Appearing or existing after the death or cessation of that to which its origin is due; especially, of books, published after the death of the author: as, posthumous works.
  • noun A posthumous child.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Born after the death of the father, or taken from the dead body of the mother.
  • adjective Published after the death of the author
  • adjective Being or continuing after one's death.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective originally Born after the death of one's father.
  • adjective After the death of someone
  • adjective Taking place after one's own death
  • adjective In reference to a work, published after the author's death.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective occurring or coming into existence after a person's death

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English posthumus, from Late Latin, alteration (perhaps influenced by Latin humus, earth or humāre, to bury) of postumus, superlative of posterus, coming after; see posterior.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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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Examples

  • At one time or another (including copyrights) this person has had about fourteen hundred pounds of my money, and he writes what he calls a posthumous work about me, and a scrubby letter accusing me of treating him ill, when I never did any such thing.

    Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 4 (of 6) With His Letters and Journals Thomas Moore 1815

  • This is why we call the posthumous life the only reality, and the terrestrial one, including the personality itself, only imaginary.

    Death—and After? Annie Wood Besant 1890

  • He brings this question as a plaintiff in the case he describes as a posthumous "love letter to the things Gerry believed in."

    post-gazette.com - News 2009

  • Today's excerpts from Henry David Thoreau's Journal are in posthumous dialogue with The New York Times.

    Commonplace 2010

  • Today's excerpts from Henry David Thoreau's Journal are in posthumous dialogue with The New York Times.

    A Different Stripe: 2009

  • Today's excerpts from Henry David Thoreau's Journal are in posthumous dialogue with The New York Times.

    Checking in on Thoreau: arguing about John Brown and finding friends in windfall acorns 2009

  • But will the millions of children who adored Irwin’s life-affirming presence stick with him in posthumous reruns?

    Unfair Dinkum 2006

  • But will the millions of children who adored Irwin’s life-affirming presence stick with him in posthumous reruns?

    Unfair Dinkum 2006

  • (Unless the author is dead and the book is posthumous, which is a slightly different kettle of fish.)

    msagara: Acts of faith & entitlement issues msagara 2009

  • My father was what is generally termed a posthumous child — in other words, the gentillatre who begot him never had the satisfaction of invoking the blessing of the Father of All upon his head; having departed this life some months before the birth of his youngest son.

    Lavengro 2004

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