why do we use the term "late" when someone dies?

Question

thanks and God bless you all

Answer 1

From the The Oxford English Dictionary 1490. "Late" -- an adjective meaning "recent but not continuing to the present". The Oxford English Dictionary 1548 first citation for it is from approx. 1548, so this sense may not have given rise to the "recently deceased" one.

The OED says this latter sense of "late" apparently developed from an adverbial use, defined as "Not long since (but not now); recently (but no longer).

" Its first quotation for "late" as an adverb in this sense is "John the monke late cardynal of Rome" (1474).

Answer 2

Main Entry: late
Part of Speech: adjective 3
Definition: dead
Synonyms: asleep, bygone, cold, deceased, defunct, departed, erstwhile, ex-*, exanimate, extinct, former, inanimate, lifeless, old, once, onetime, past, preceding, previous, quondam, sometime

Love and joy

Beth

Answer 3

Late has nothing to do with time in this case. It refers to something that once existed but no longer does.

Answer 4

late as in his time
their time has hit 12 on the hour clock and i geuss that is late

Answer 5

Idiomatically - 'of late' means recently

the late means they wree recently alive

Answer 6

Because it is a recent death.

At a certain point, the person is just dead.

Answer 7

"late" as in the last person who had that name.

thats my guess.

Answer 8

well if the person is dead i doubt he will be on time for anything else... lol

Answer 9

because they will never be on time again?????

Answer 10

I don't know