| 释义 |
posthumous, a. (n.)|ˈpɒstjʊməs|
Also 8 postumous.
[f. L. postumus last, late-born, posthumous, superl. f. post after; in late L. written posthumus through erroneous attribution to humus the earth, or (as explained by Servius) humāre to bury: see -ous.]
Used generally of anything which appears after the death of its originator. a. Of a child: Born after the death of its father.
1619Drummond of Hawthornden Conv. B. Jonson Wks. (1711) 224 He [Ben Jonson]..was posthumous, being born a month after his father's death. 1677W. Hubbard Narrative 2 North-America this posthumous birth of time. 1709Steele & Addison Tatler No. 110 ⁋6 Some Posthumous Children, that bore no Resemblance to their elder Brethren. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) VI. 574 The statute of King William, which puts posthumous children on the same footing with children born in the lifetime of their ancestor.
b. Of a book or writing: Published after the death of the author.
1668Hale Rolle's Abridgment Pref. a j b, It is a Posthumous work, which never underwent the last Hand or Pensil of the judicious Author. 1796Burke Regic. Peace iii. Wks. VIII. 300 What plea..can be alledged, after the treaty was dead and gone, in favour of this posthumous declaration? 1837–9Hallam Hist. Lit. (1847) III. 207 The posthumous volumes appeared in considerable intervals.
c. Of an action, reputation, etc.: Occurring, arising, or continuing after death.
1608Bp. J. King Serm. 5 Nov. 37 A posthumous, penitent confession (after the conspirators were most of them dead, and almost rotten) of one of the complices themselues. 1642Fuller Holy & Prof. St. iii. v. 164 For he that was buried with the bones of Elisha, by a Posthumous miracle of that Prophet, recovered his life by lodging with such a grave-fellow. 1736Butler Anal. i. i. Wks. 1874 I. 30 Our posthumous life..may not be entirely beginning anew, but going on. 1808Southey Lett., to C. W. Williams Wynn II. 50 It was well we should be contented with posthumous fame, but impossible to be so with posthumous bread and cheese. 1882Farrar Early Chr. I. 77 He had begged that his body might be burned without posthumous insults.
†B. n. A posthumous child. Obs. rare.
a1648Ld. Herbert Life (1886) 23 My brother Thomas was a posthumous..born some weeks after his father's death. 1718S. Sewall Diary 19 Mar. (1882) III. 177 Marry Sam. Badcock, a posthumous, and Martha Healy. |