海角大神

I鈥檝e been thinking of two kinds of lateness recently 鈥� only one of which has anything to do with punctuality.

Yes, in the new year, I鈥檓 resolving 鈥� again 鈥� to demonstrate more reliably on-time arrival for appointments.聽

The other lateness came to mind with the year-end remembrances of the dear departed: Why do we call them 鈥渓ate鈥�? We don鈥檛 mean to suggest that they just missed the boat into the new year, do we?

This usage goes back to the 15th century: The Oxford English Dictionary quotes an example from 1490: 鈥淗er swete and late amyable husbonde.鈥澛�

This sense seems to come from lateness as 鈥渞ecentness鈥� rather than tardiness. The Online Etymology Dictionary traces late to the Old English 濒忙迟, 鈥渙ccurring after the customary or expected time.鈥� Late originally meant 鈥渟low, sluggish, slack, lax, negligent.鈥�

Lately first came on the scene as a straight-up adverbial equivalent of this original late. It meant 鈥渟lowly, sluggishly,鈥� etc. But since the 15th century lately has meant 鈥渞ecently.鈥� When we need an adverb for something 鈥渙ccurring after the customary or expected time,鈥� it is, of course, just plain late: 鈥淗e came late to the party.鈥�

Oxford defines the adjectival late as in the 鈥渓ate amyable husbonde鈥� thus: 鈥淥f a person: that was alive not long ago, but is not now; recently deceased.鈥�

Oxford tags this sense 鈥渁ttrib.,鈥� and adds that it is used 鈥淸c]hiefly with the or possessive adjective.鈥� It precedes what it modifies: 鈥渢he late John Smith,鈥� or 鈥渕y late uncle.鈥�

Beatles fans have etched onto the tablet of consciousness late of, meaning 鈥渇ormerly,鈥� as in 鈥淏eing for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!鈥�: 鈥淭he Hendersons will all be there/ Late of Pablo Fanques Fair, what a scene...!鈥�

How long does a deceased person get to be 鈥渓ate鈥�? Not once he or she has truly passed into history. 鈥淭he late President Kennedy鈥� just isn鈥檛 right. But editorial experience suggests 鈥渢he late鈥� can be helpfully inserted as a reminder that a public figure has indeed died, and not just retired from public life.

鈥淭he late鈥� can be helpful outside the public realm as well. Take this example: 鈥淪he is trying to decide whether to sell the vacation home she and her late husband bought a few years before he retired.鈥�

It鈥檚 something one might say to a friend about another mutual friend whom the first friend doesn鈥檛 know as well. The addition of that simple 鈥渓ate鈥� suggests a world of detail about the psychological reality of the situation: the circumstances of the original purchase, the motivation for a potential sale (or not), the resources 鈥渟he鈥� will have to call upon as she makes her decision, and so on.聽

鈥淭he late鈥� can be a gently euphemizing way to signal someone鈥檚 no-longer-current status by saying that he or she was 鈥渓ately鈥� (recently) alive but is no longer.聽

It is, you might say, a glass-half-full way of communicating. And it can be useful.聽