# aftermath

Pronunciation: US say "AF-tur-math" /ˈæf.tɚˌmæθ/; UK say "AHF-tuh-math" /ˈɑːf.təˌmæθ/

## Noun

1. The period and consequences that follow an event, usually a disaster, and often carrying strongly negative associations.
   - Simple: The time and events that come after something bad, like a disaster or an accident.
   - _Relief workers arrived in the aftermath of the earthquake to search for survivors._
   - _The company struggled for years in the aftermath of the financial scandal._

## Noun

2. A second mowing of grass, or the new growth that springs up after the first hay crop has been cut in the same season. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A second crop of grass that grows in the same field after the first hay is cut.
   - _After the first hay crop was gathered, the meadow's aftermath provided fresh grazing for the sheep._
   - _The aftermath that summer was sparse, giving little fodder for the coming winter._

## Origin

Formed from after- combined with math, an old word meaning "a mowing" (of grass).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/aftermath (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).