From Middle English latter, lattere, lattre, from Old English lætra, comparative form of læt (“late”). Equivalent to late + -er, thus a doublet of later; also, related to last, whose doublet is latest.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Near (or nearer) to the end.
the latter part of the century
(not-comparable) In the past, but close (or closer) to the present time.
Hath not navigation discovered in these latter ages, whole nations at the bay of Soldania […]? 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:
In his latter years my dad became very absent-minded.
From Middle English latter, lattere, lattre, from Old English lætra, comparative form of læt (“late”). Equivalent to late + -er, thus a doublet of later; also, related to last, whose doublet is latest.
Meanings
(preceding with "the", singular, singular-only) The second of aforementioned two items.
On sale next to dried fish and chicken feet were rats and bats (the latter's wings in a pile like leather scraps, also for sale), plus cut-up pigs and monkeys, their faces intact. 2017 March 14, Jennifer S. Holland, “For These Monkeys, It’s a Fight for Survival.”, in National Geographic, archived from the original on 23 Mar 2025:
Ramsay and Lil Nas X’s panini party comes less than two weeks after the latter had jokingly asked the “Masterchef” star to make a guest appearance on the remix of his latest single, “Panini.” 2019 July 5, Michael Bartiromo, “Gordon Ramsay and Lil Nas X meet up to make panini sandwiches, play with knives”, in Fox News, archived from the original on 05 Aug 2019:
the difference between reason and revelation, and in what sense the latter is superior 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry after Truth, […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Clark and Richard Hett, […], Emanuel Matthews, […], and Richard Ford, […], published 1726, →OCLC:
The archaic past participle shapen is only used in misshapen, ill-shapen, and well-shapen (the latter two are much less common, though).
de letztere (near (or nearer) to the end) · es éste (relating to or being the second of two items) · vi mới đây (close (or closer) to the present time) · fo seinni (relating to or being the second of two items) · pl końcowy (near (or nearer) to the end) · nl dichtsbijzijnde (close (or closer) to the present time) · pt último (relating to or being the second of two items) · sv andra (relating to or being the second of two items) · de zweiter (relating to or being the second of two items) · hu újabb (close (or closer) to the present time) · oc este (relating to or being the second of two items) · bg неотдавнашен (close (or closer) to the present time) · hu második (relating to or being the second of two items) · pl ostatni (near (or nearer) to the end) · nn sistnemnd (relating to or being the second of two items) · nrn ettri (relating to or being the second of two items) · vi sau (relating to or being the second of two items) · fi jäljempi (relating to or being the second of two items) · it quest'ultimo (relating to or being the second of two items) · ru второ́й (relating to or being the second of two items) · fi myöhempi (close (or closer) to the present time) · ca segon (relating to or being the second of two items) · eo ĉi-lasta (relating to or being the second of two items) · ko 후자 (relating to or being the second of two items) · vi gần đây (close (or closer) to the present time) · ru после́дний (near (or nearer) to the end) · sv senare (relating to or being the second of two items) · nl laatstgenoemd (relating to or being the second of two items) · vi sau cùng (near (or nearer) to the end) · hu későbbi (near (or nearer) to the end) · de letzter (close (or closer) to the present time) · de letzterer (relating to or being the second of two items) · vi thứ hai (relating to or being the second of two items) · pl ostatni (close (or closer) to the present time) · hu utóbbi (relating to or being the second of two items) · nb sistnevnt (relating to or being the second of two items) · ja 後者 (relating to or being the second of two items) · fi jäljempi (near (or nearer) to the end) · hu hátrébb lévő (near (or nearer) to the end) · bg на второ място (relating to or being the second of two items) · fr ce dernier (near (or nearer) to the end) · mi mātāmuri (near (or nearer) to the end) · vi thứ nhì (relating to or being the second of two items) · ru более поздний (close (or closer) to the present time) · fr ce dernier (relating to or being the second of two items) · nl laatste (near (or nearer) to the end) · hu utóbbi (close (or closer) to the present time) · ru после́дний (close (or closer) to the present time) · pt este (relating to or being the second of two items) · oc aiceste (relating to or being the second of two items) · es (el) segundo (relating to or being the second of two items) · nl jongstleden (close (or closer) to the present time) · cmn 後者 /后者 (relating to or being the second of two items) · fa دومی (relating to or being the second of two items) · eo lasta (relating to or being the second of two items) · pl drugi (z dwóch) (relating to or being the second of two items) · oc aqueste (relating to or being the second of two items) · fr dernier (close (or closer) to the present time) · ca ponent (relating to or being the second of two items) · es esto (relating to or being the second of two items) · fi jälkimmäinen (relating to or being the second of two items) · pl późniejszy (near (or nearer) to the end) · pt segundo (relating to or being the second of two items) · it secondo (relating to or being the second of two items) · es (este) último (relating to or being the second of two items) · no sist (near (or nearer) to the end) · sv sistnämnda (relating to or being the second of two items)