Aft″er (ȧft″tẽr), a. [AS. æfter after, behind; akin to Goth. aftaro, aftra, backwards, Icel. aptr, Sw. and Dan. efter, OHG. aftar behind, Dutch and LG. achter, Gr. απωτἔρω further off. The ending -ter is an old comparative suffix, in E. generally -ther (as in other), and after is a compar. of of, off. √194. See Of; cf. Aft.] 1. Next; later in time; subsequent; succeeding; as, an after period of life. Marshall.
☞ In this sense the word is sometimes needlessly combined with the following noun, by means of a hyphen, as, after-ages, after-act, after-days, after-life. For the most part the words are properly kept separate when after has this meaning.
2. Hinder; nearer the rear. (Naut.) To ward the stern of the ship; — applied to any object in the rear part of a vessel; as the after cabin, after hatchway. It is often combined with its noun; as, after-bowlines, after-braces, after-sails, after-yards, those on the mainmasts and mizzenmasts.
After body(Naut.), the part of a ship abaft the dead flat, or middle part.