posterity
UK[pɒˈsterəti]US[pɑːˈsterəti]
n
all future generations of people.
n
the descendants of a person.
Morpheme Breakdown
poster
ity
poster
coming after
ity
state or quality
Etymology
the word 'posterity' originates from the latin term 'posteritas', which itself derives from 'posterus', meaning 'coming after' or 'next'. this latin root is connected to the preposition 'post', meaning 'after'. the suffix '-ity', from latin '-itas', forms nouns denoting a state or quality. thus, the literal construction signifies 'the state or condition of those who come after'. over time, this evolved from a general sense of 'futurity' to specifically denote all future generations who will succeed the present one, carrying the legacy of the past forward.
Analysis
Structure: poster (coming after) + ity (state or quality)
poster (from latin 'posterus', meaning 'coming after' or 'next'); ity (from latin '-itas', a suffix forming abstract nouns indicating a state or condition).
Examples
they built the monument for the benefit of posterity.
he wanted to leave a record of his life for posterity.
the artist's work was preserved to inspire posterity.