aftermath
pronounced AF-ter-math
a noun meaning
1
: a second-growth crop
called also rowen
2
: CONSEQUENCE, RESULT
3
: the period immediately following a usually ruinous event
One might think aftermath to be closely related to mathematics and its cropped form math. But the math of mathematics (which came to English ultimately from Greek) and the math of aftermath grew from different roots. Aftermath dates to the late 1400s and was originally an agricultural term, an offshoot of the ancient word math, meaning “a mowing.” The original aftermath came, of course, after the math: it was historically the crop cut, grazed, or plowed under after the first crop of the season from the same soil. (Math is still used in some parts of the United Kingdom to refer to a mowing of a grass or hay crop, as well as to the crop that is mowed.) It wasn’t until the mid-1600s that aftermath came to have the meanings now familiar to us, referring to the period of time following a destructive event, or to a negative consequence or result.
(taken from Merriam-Webster)
To see it in context or listen to the pronunciation, check the link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day (May 11, 2023)
To see it in context or listen to the pronunciation, check the link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day (May 11, 2023)
