Afterword
/ˈæf.tər.wɝːd/noun
A brief concluding section at the end of a book, usually written by someone other than the main author.
Did you know?Unlike many “mystical-sounding” words, afterword is a transparent English compound, but it survives because writers have long treated endings as a separate, almost ritual space outside the main narrative.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
æfter
“after, behind, later”
Old English
OE
word
“word, speech, statement”
Middle English
ME
after word
“a word or remark that comes afterward”
18th–19th Century
English
afterword
“a concluding remark or section added after the main text”
Modern English
English
afterword
“an ending note or concluding section at the end of a book”
Explore more surprising origins