postĕrus or poster (not in use in nom. sing. masc.), a, um, adj.—Comp: posterior, us.—Sup.: postremus or postumus, a, um [post], coming after, following, next, ensuing, future.
I Posit. : cum ibi diem posterum commoraretur, Cic. Clu. 13, 37: in posterum diem distulit, id. Deiot. 7, 21: postero die mane, id. Verr. 2, 2, 17, § 41: postero die, Sall J. 75, 9: posterā nocte, Nep. Eum. 9, 4: postero anno, Cic. Fragm. pro C. Cornel.: postera aetas, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 42: lux, id. S. 1, 5, 39: posterā Crescam laude, in the esteem of posterity , id. C. 3, 30, 7: posteri dies, unlucky , Non. 73, 32.— Hence,
2 Subst.: postĕri , ōrum, m., coming generations , descendants , posterity : expetantur eae poenae a liberis, a nepotibus, a posteris, Cic. N. D. 3, 38, 90: posterūm gloria, Tac. A. 3, 72: postero, for postero die, on the following day , next day , id. ib. 4, 45; cf.: quam minimum credula postero, Hor. C. 1, 11, 8: in posterum, for in posterum diem, to the following day , till the next day : in posterum oppugnationem differt, Caes. B. G. 7, 11.—More freq.: in posterum (sc. tempus), in the future , for the future : in posterum confirmat, Caes. B. C. 1, 3: multum in posterum providerunt, Cic. Agr. 2, 33, 91; id. Phil. 13, 3, 6; id. Fam. 1, 9, 2: longe in posterum prospicere, id. ib. 2, 8, 1.—
B Trop., inferior (post-class.), Mart. Cap. 4, § 333.—
II Comp. : postĕrĭor , postĕrĭus.
A Lit., that comes or follows after , next in order , time , or place , latter , later , posterior (class.; strictly only when two objects or classes are contrasted in place or time; opp.: prior, superior): ut cum priore (dicto) necessario posterius cohaerere videntur, Cic. Inv. 1, 46, 86: nec acumine posteriorum (oratorum), nec fulmine utens superiorum, id. Or. 6, 21: ea pertinere ad superiorem divisionem: contra posteriorem nihil dici oportere, id. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 31, 99; 2, 30, 96; id. Off. 1, 20, 67: posteriores pedes (opp.: pedes priores), the hind feet , Plin. 11, 45, 101, § 248; cf.: genua, id. 11, 45, 102, § 249: pars prior apparet, posteriora latent, Ov. F. 4, 718: posteriores cogitationes, afterthoughts , Cic. Phil. 12, 2, 5: paria esse debent posteriora superioribus, id. de Or. 3, 48, 186: Thucy dides paulo aetate posterior, id. Brut. 11, 48: quod prius ordine verbum est, Posterius facias, Hor. S. 1, 4, 59.—Sometimes added to other words of contrast: alii ... alii ... tamen hi quoque posteriores, etc., Cic. Fin. 3, 21, 70: cujus est ratio duplex ... facilior est haec posterior ... sed illa lautior, id. Off. 2, 15, 52; cf. superior.—
2 Subst.
a postĕ-rĭōres , um, m., for posteri, posterity (postclass.): quemadmodum omnes cognati supra tritavum, generali appellatione majores vocantur, ita post trinepotem posteriores, Dig. 38, 10, 10.—
b postĕrĭōra , um, n., the posteriors (post-class.), Lampr Elag. 5. —Adv.: postĕrĭus , later , afterwards (class.): posterius dicere, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 76: posterius istuc dicis quam credo tibi, i. e. I believe you before you speak , id. As. 1, 1, 48: jubet posterius ad se reverti, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 29, § 66: Thucydides si posterius fuisset, had he lived at a later period , id. Brut. 83, 288.—
B Trop., inferior , of less account or value , worse (class.): quorum utrique semper patriae salus et dignitas posterior suā dominatione et domesticis commodis fuit, Cic. Att. 10, 4, 4; id. Phil. 13, 3, 6: suam salutem posteriorem communi salute ducere, id. Rab. Perd. 1, 3: nihil posterius, nihil nequius, id. Pis. 27, 66 (al. protervius): omnes res posteriores pono atque operam do tibi, I lay every thing aside , Plaut. Mil. 4, 1, 7: non posteriores feram, I will not play the meanest part , I shall not be behindhand , Ter. Ad. 880; cf.: cujus sic fortuna cum improbitate certavit, ut nemo posset utrum posterior an infelicior esset judicare, Cic. Prov Cons. 4, 8 fin. —
III Sup , in two forms, postrēmus and postŭmus, a, um.
A postrēmus , a, um, the hindmost , the last (class.): alia prima ponet, alia postrema, last , Cic. Or. 15, 50: acies, the rear , Sall. J. 101, 5: in agmine in primis modo, modo in postremis adesse, now in the front , now in the rear , id. ib. 45, 2: postremā in comoediā, at the end of the piece , Plaut. Cist. fin. : in postremo libro, at the close of the book , Just. 43, 5: mense postremo, Pall. 7, 2: munus, i. e. exsequiae, the last honors , Cat. 101, 3: nec postrema cura, not the last , least , Verg. G. 3, 404; cf.: non in postremis, i. e. in primis, especially , Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 17.
XII — postrēmō , adv., at last , finally (class.), Caes. B. G. 7, 1: omnes urbes, agri, regna denique, postremo etiam vectigalia vestra venierint, Cic. Agr. 2, 23, 62: primum ... deinde ... postremo: denique ... postremo, id. N. D. 1, 37, 104; Hor. S. 2, 2, 132: ad postremum, at last , finally , ultimately : sed ad postremum nihil apparet, Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 23; Sall. Fragm. ap. Aug. Civ. Dei, 3, 17; Liv. 38, 16; Hirt. B. G. 8, 43: postremum, for the last time : si id facis, hodie postremum me vides, Ter. And. 322: in quo (vestigio) ille postremum institisset, Cic. de Or. 3, 2, 6: postremum, at last : postremum mel et acetum superfundes, Pall. 12, 22.—
2 Trop., the last , lowest , basest , meanest , worst (class.): postremum genus, Cic. Cat. 2, 10, 22: ut homines postremi pecuniis alienis locupletarentur, id. Rosc. Am. 47, 137: servitus postremum malorum omnium, id. Phil. 2, 44, 113.—Hence, ante- and post-class., a new comp. postremior, and sup. postremissimus: ut possit videri nullum animal in terris homine postremius, Ap. Deo Socr. p. 43 fin. : omnium nationum postremissimum nequissimumque existimatote, C. Gracch. ap. Gell. 15, 12, 3: cum adulescentulis postremissimis, Ap. Mag. p. 336.—
B po-stŭmus (acc. to an erroneous derivation, from post - humus, sometimes also post-humus ), a, um, the last , said esp. of the youngest children, or of those born after the father's death, or after he had made his will, late-born , posthumous : Silvius ... tua postuma proles, Quem tibi longaevo serum Lavinia conjux Educet silvis, late-born son , Verg. A. 6, 763; cf. with this passage: postuma proles non eum significat, qui patre mortuo, sed qui postremo loco natus est, sicuti Silvius, qui Aeneā jam sene, tardo seroque partu est editus, Caesellius Vindex ap. Gell. 2, 16, 5.—On the other hand: is, qui post patris mortem natus est, dicitur postumus, Varr. L. L. 9, § 60 Müll.; and: postumus cognominatur post patris mortem natus, Fest. p. 238 Müll.; Plaut. ap. Fest. l. l.—As subst.: postŭmus , i, m., a posthumous child : non minus postumis quam jam natis testamento tutores dari posse, Gai. Inst. 1, 147: si quis postumis dederit tutores, hique vivo eo nascantur, an datio valeat? Dig. 26, 2, 16 fin. : postuma spes, the last , Ap. Met. 4, 5, 7; suscipit doctrinam seram plane et postumam, id. Mag. p. 297, 23; cena quam postumā diligentiā praeparaverat, with extreme care , id. Met. 6, 30, 21.—*
2 Subst.: postŭmum , i, n., that which is last , the end , extremity : de postumo corporis, Tert. adv. Gnost. 1.