The prefix "post" can it mean before? [closed]

Question

The posterior is the behind, the postero-dorsal is behind the antero-dorsal.

But when we're talking about time, postmodern means "of, relating to, or being an era after a modern one".

So are there exceptions to this rule. Are there instances where the prefix "post" means the opposite of "behind", "after", or "afterward"?

I thought "post" meant about the same either if it's used about time or space, but it seems it's only in time, not space it has that "after" meaning. In space ante is the "after" and "post" the behind.

Answer 1

Here are some definitions:

Post (5) preposition Subsequent to; after: American poetry post the 1950s hasn’t had the same impact - ODO

Before (1) preposition During the period of time preceding (a particular event or time): *she had to rest before dinner the day before yesterday - ODO

Before (2) preposition In front of: Matilda stood before her, panting - ODO

Consider the concept before.

Imagine travelling along Pall Mall, passing Suffolk St first, then Whitcomb St. If you were to pause between the two streets, which street is before you? You might say that Suffolk St came before, or that Whitcomb St lies before you.

• Came before references history in this context, so we use before (1) to say that Suffolk St is before you. Note that the same words "came before" can also be used to reference position, leading to a similar example to that in the definition of before (2).

• Lies before references position, so before (2) applies. In this context, Whitcomb St is before you.

Post also has seemingly contrasting senses, but the apparent conflict can be resolved more cleanly.

Imagine making a (sequential) list of whatever you encounter. Then items later in the list are said to be post the ones earlier in the list.

• Consider your first example. Suppose you got a dolphin to swim past an inspection point, noting the fins encountered at the inspection point. The antero-dorsal appears before the postero-dorsal, so they are written in that order on the list. In this sense, the postero-dorsal is justifiably post.

• Consider your second example. Now you're walking through history, encountering the modern era before the postmodern. Hence postmodern is written later in your list, justifying the label post.

These seemingly contradictory uses of post stem from the intrinsically opposite order you get, depending on what is considered to be moving: the viewer or the viewed. This also explains your delightful comment that "before ... and after would convey about the same meaning", when we would normally think of them as conveying opposite meanings.

Answer 2

Post is always used to convey the idea of "behind, after" in any context it is applied:

• a prefix, meaning “behind,” “after,” “later,” “subsequent to," “posterior to,” occurring originally in loanwords from Latin ( postscript),

• but now used freely in the formation of compound words ( post-Elizabethan; postfix; postgraduate; postorbital).