*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -later

A back-formation from idolater. Formally from Latin -latres (seen in īdōlolatres), from Ancient Greek -λάτρης (-látrēs), from λατρεύω (latreúō, “to serve, serve gods”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

Worshipper of.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A back-formation from idolater. Formally from Latin -latres (seen in īdōlolatres), from Ancient Greek -λάτρης (-látrēs), from λατρεύω (latreúō, “to serve, serve gods”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "back-formation",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "idolater",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "back-formation from idolater"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "-latres"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin -latres"
    },
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "grc",
        "2": "-λάτρης"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek -λάτρης (-látrēs)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "idolater",
      "idolater#English"
    ],
    [
      "-latres",
      "-latres#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "īdōlolatres",
      "idololatres#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "-λάτρης",
      "-λάτρης#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "λατρεύω",
      "λατρεύω#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Worshipper of."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "82396c0914bec52067f7019c5d6513fffde94a46f5348af45ff064bd0747d6fd",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ec350e97b0a9feba6170efe7ac5b70d31fb29a1c6e716362b20f94aafd0f1a59",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 8574833
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -later →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWxhdGVy