latter


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lat·ter

(lăt′ər)
adj.
1. Being the second of two persons or things mentioned: Regarding captain and major, the latter rank is higher.
2. Near or nearer to the end: the latter part of the book.
3. Further advanced in time or sequence; later: a style that has been revived in latter times.
n.
The second of two persons or things mentioned.
[Middle English, later, from Old English lætra; see lē- in Indo-European roots.]
lat′ter·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

latter

(ˈlætə)
adj (prenominal)
1.
a. denoting the second or second mentioned of two: distinguished from former
b. (as noun; functioning as sing or plural): the latter is not important.
2. near or nearer the end: the latter part of a film.
3. more advanced in time or sequence; later
Usage: The latter should only be used to refer to the second of two items: many people choose to go by hovercraft rather than use the ferry, but I prefer the latter. The last of three or more items can be referred to as the last-named
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lat•ter

(ˈlæt ər)

adj.
1. being the second mentioned of two (disting. from former): the latter version of the story.
2. more advanced in time; later: in these latter days of human progress.
3. near or comparatively near to the end: the latter part of the century.
4. Obs. last; final.
[before 1000; Middle English latt(e)re, Old English lætra, comp. of læt late]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

latter

– former

The latter should only be used to refer to the second of two things or people which have already been mentioned.

Given the choice between working for someone else and working for the family business, she'd prefer the latter.

You use the former to talk about the first of two things already mentioned.

These two firms are in direct competition, with the former trying to cut costs and increase profits.

If you are talking about three or more things or people, don't use 'the latter' or 'the former'. Use an expression with the last or the first.

The company has three branches, in Birmingham, Plymouth, and Greenock. The last of these will close next year.

If you are mentioning things for the first time, don't use 'the former' or 'the latter'. Use the first or the second.

There will be two matches next week. The first will be in Brighton, and the second in London.
Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun 1. [画像:latter - the second of two or the second mentioned of two]latter - the second of two or the second mentioned of two; "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the latter is remembered today"
second - following the first in an ordering or series; "he came in a close second"
former - the first of two or the first mentioned of two; "Tom and Dick were both heroes but only the former is remembered today"
Adj. 1. latter - referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several); "in the latter case"
former - referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several); "the novel was made into a film in 1943 and again in 1967; I prefer the former version to the latter one"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

latter

pronoun second, last, last-mentioned, second-mentioned He tracked down his cousin and uncle. The latter was sick.
adjective last, later, latest, ending, closing, final, concluding The latter part of the debate concentrated on abortion.
last earlier, former, previous, prior, preceding, foregoing, antecedent
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

latter

adjective
1. Of or relating to a terminative condition, stage, or point:
2. Next before the present one:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
الأخير
druhýposlední
senere
késõbbi
síîari; seinni
paskiausiaipastarasis
pēdējais
drugi
son sona yakın

latter

[ˈlætəʳ]
A. ADJ
1. (= last) → último
the latter part of the story → la última parte del relato
in the latter part of the century → hacia fines or finales del siglo
2. (of two) → segundo
B. N the latter (sing) → éste/ésta; (pl) → éstos/éstas
the former ... the latter → aquél ... éste ...
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

latter

[ˈlætər]
n
the latter → ce dernier(cette dernière)
He tracked down his cousin and uncle. The latter was sick → Il retrouva la trace de son cousin et de son oncle. Ce dernier était malade.
Men still outnumber women, though the latter are catching up → Les hommes sont toujours plus nombreux que les femmes, bien que ces dernières soient en train de refaire leur retard.
The latter is the more expensive of the two systems
BUT Ce dernier système est le plus coûteux des deux.
the former ..., the latter ... → le premier ..., le second ...
The former lives in the US, the latter in Australia → Le premier habite aux États-Unis, le second en Australie.
adj
[part, half] → dernier/ière
in the latter half of the 17th century → pendant la dernière moitié du XVIIe siècle
[category, version] → dernier/ière
I prefer the latter version to the former → Je préfère la dernière version à la précédente.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

latter

adj
(= second of two) → letztere(r, s)
(= at the end) the latter part of the book/story is better → gegen Ende wird das Buch/die Geschichte besser ; the latter half of the week/year/century → die zweite Hälfte der Woche/des Jahres/des Jahrhunderts ; in the latter years → in den letzten Jahren ; in his latter years → in späteren Jahren
n the latter → der/die/das/Letztere; (more than one) → die Letzteren pl; I don’t agree with the latter → ich bin mit Letzterem nicht einverstanden ; of these two theories I prefer the latter → von diesen beiden Theorien ziehe ich (die) letztere vor
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

latter

[ˈlætəʳ]
1. n the latter → quest'ultimo/a
of the two, the latter is better → fra i due è meglio il secondo
2. adj
a. (later) → ultimo/a
the latter years of his life → gli ultimi anni della sua vita
b. (of two) the latter part of the story → la seconda or l'ultima parte della storia
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

latter

(ˈlӕtə) adjective
towards the end. the latter part of our holiday. latere الأخير последен final druhý; poslední später sidste; senere που βρίσκεται προς το τέλος último lõpp- اخیر؛ آخری loppu- deuxième, dernier הַאַחֲרוֹן अनुवर्ती zadnji, pri kraju későbbi menjelang akhir síðari; seinni ultimo 後半の 후반의 paskutinis pēdējais kedua laatst siste końcowy وروستى او آخرينى último ultimul; al doilea более поздний, последний posledný zadnji poslednji sista, senare, mot slutet ส่วนหลัง sona yakın, son 後期的 останній مؤخر الذکر، آخری یا بعد کا sau cùng 后面的
ˈlatterly adverb
1. recently; lately. onlangs, in die laaste tyd مؤخَّرا، حديثا на скоро ultimamente nedávno in letzter Zeit for nyligt πρόσφατα últimamente viimasel ajal اخیرا äskettäin récemment בְּיָמִים אֵלֶה हाल में nedavno mostanában belum lama ini nÿlega, undanfarið recentemente, ultimamente 最近 최근에 pastaruoju metu nesen; mūsdienās akhir-akhir ini de laatste tijd i det siste, nylig ostatnio نوى،تازه utlimamente de cu­rând, în ultimul timp недавно; в последнее время nedávno v zadnjem času u poslednje vreme på sista tiden, nyligen เมื่อเร็ว ๆ นี้ son zamanlarda, yakınlarda 近來 недавно حالیہ gần đây 近来
2. towards the end. eindtyd أخير، أقرَب عَهْدا към края ultimamente nakonec am Ende mod slutningen; mod enden προς το τέλος hacia el final lõpu poole بعدها loppu- sur le tard לאחרונה जीवन के अंतिम दिनों में, किसी काल के अंतिम भाग में pri kraju a vége felé menjelang akhir upp á síðkastið sul tardi 末期に 후반에 paskiausiai beigās; uz beigām baru-baru ini tegen het einde mot slutten pod koniec وروسته ultimamente către sfârşit к концу, под конец nakoniec proti koncu poslednji mot slutet ใกล้จบ sona doğru 後期 під кінець آخر میں về sau 后期,末了的
the latter
the second of two things etc mentioned. John and Mary arrived, the latter wearing a green wool dress. laasgenoemde المَذْكور ثانيا، الثاني втори o último ten (ta, to) poslední letzter sidstnævnte ο δεύτερος (από δύο) éste último viimati mainitu دومی jälkimmäinen celui/celle/ceux/celles-ci הַשֵנִי बाद वाला आदमी या चीज इत्यादि drugi (od dva) az utóbbi yang belakangan síðari, síðarnefndur quest'ultimo 後者 후자 pastarasis pēdējais (no diviem pieminētiem) yang kedua de/het laatstgenoemde sistnevnte, den siste ten ostatni/drugi دوهم o último ultimul последний ten (tá, to) posledný (-á, -é) drugi (od dveh) drugopomenuti den (det) senare ส่วนที่เหลือ ikincisi, sonraki 後者 останній دو اشیا میں دوسری cái thứ hai trong hai thứ 后者
to choose the second or latter (not later) of two alternatives.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

latter

pron. éste, ésta; el, la más reciente, el más moderno, la más moderna.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
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As long as the connection subsists between his reason and his self-love, his opinions and his passions will have a reciprocal influence on each other; and the former will be objects to which the latter will attach themselves.
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The latter felt immensely superior to his friend, but he inclined to condescension.
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You must except, nevertheless, Marcus Antonius, the half partner of the empire of Rome, and Appius Claudius, the decemvir and lawgiver; whereof the former was indeed a voluptuous man, and inordinate; but the latter was an austere and wise man: and therefore it seems (though rarely) that love can find entrance, not only into an open heart, but also into a heart well fortified, if watch be not well kept.
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The former of these teaching the folly and vanity of it, and the latter correcting it as unlawful, and at the same time assuaging it, by raising future hopes and assurances, which enable a strong and religious mind to take leave of a friend, on his deathbed, with little less indifference than if he was preparing for a long journey; and, indeed, with little less hope of seeing him again.
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