late

The word 'late' originates from the Old English 'læt', which carried the core meaning of 'slow' or 'tardy'. This term is of Germanic descent, related to Old Frisian 'let', Old Saxon 'lat', and Old High German 'laz', all sharing the sense of sluggishness or delay. The semantic evolution from 'slow' to 'occurring after the proper time' is a natural and logical progression, as slowness inherently leads to a delayed arrival or completion. Over time, this temporal sense expanded to include meanings associated with the far end of a period (e.g., late afternoon) and, through euphemism, to refer to the deceased.

This is a simplex word of Germanic origin. It descends from the Old English 'læt', meaning 'slow, tardy, occurring after the expected time'. Its functional role is as a base adjective and adverb.