belated

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 4, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>belated</strong> &#149; \bih-LAY-tud\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Belated</em> means "happening or coming very late or too late."</p> <p>// Olivia called her friend on his birthday to let him know that a <em>belated</em> gift from her was on its way.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belated">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Skating reached a pop-culture peak in the ... 1970s and '80s, before surging back into popularity during the pandemic as the ideal socially-distanced fitness activity. ... Still, Angela Tanner, the assistant executive director of the Roller Skating Association International, was enthusiastic about my <em>belated</em> leap onto the bandwagon: 'I think there's this perception that roller skating has exploded, but roller skating never really stopped,' she said." — Christine Emba, <em>The Washington Post</em>, 1 Jan. 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>Don't worry about being late to the party if you don't know the history of <em>belated</em>; you're right on time. Long ago, there was a verb <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belate">belate</a></em>, which meant "to make late." From the beginning, <em>belate</em> tended to mostly turn up in the form of its <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/past%20participle">past participle</a>, <em>belated</em>. When used as an adjective, <em>belated</em> originally meant "overtaken by night," as in "belated travelers seeking lodging for the night." This sense did not overstay its welcome; it was eventually overtaken by the "delayed" meaning we know today. As you may have guessed, <em>belate</em> and its descendant <em>belated</em> derive from the adjective <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.co