| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| aftermath (n.) |
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| Originally, “a second crop, grown after the first one had been cut,” an aftermath came to mean “something that not only follows something else, but somehow results directly from it.” Like subsequent, it has now generalized in many uses, so that often an aftermath only follows another event, without necessarily being caused by it. Most aftermaths are bad or unpleasant; to avoid pejorative overtones you must control context carefully. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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