adj
posterior
pos-TEER-ree-uh
adj
1
Located at or nearer the back of something, especially the body.
"The posterior part of the skull protects the brain stem."
"A posterior fin helps the fish steer while swimming."
noun
1
(informal) The buttocks.
"He landed hard on his posterior after slipping on the ice."
2
(statistics) In Bayesian analysis, the updated probability of something being true after taking new evidence into account.
"The model combined the prior with new data to calculate the posterior."
How to Use Posterior
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishToward the back or rear — of the body, an object, or (in statistics) a revised probability.
Common mistake
The opposite is anterior (toward the front), not 'prior' — prior relates to time, not position.
Easily confused with
Word Forms
more posterior comparative, posteriors plural, most posterior superlative
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The _____ part of the skull protects the brain stem.
Etymology
From Latin posterior, meaning 'that which comes after or behind,' the comparative form of posterus ('following').