postscript
/ˈpoʊst.skɹɪpt/
postscript means an addendum to a letter, added after the author's signature. It carries an Arena rating of 1749, earned across 54 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, postscript ranks #268 of 42,817 for Qualifying, #640 of 17,128 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #1,051 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,554 of 17,136 for Most Malleable Words.
postscript is pronounced /ˈpoʊst.skɹɪpt/.
Why “postscript” is a great word
An additional remark appended to a letter or document after the main body and signature. From New Latin postscriptum, from Latin post ("after") + scriptum ("written"), from scribere ("to write"), first attested in English in the 1610s. Unlike an addendum, a general formal addition, or an appendix, a structured repository of supporting material, the postscript is a private annex, a shadow conversation slipped in after the polite valediction. It is the hurried scrawl below your name, the trembling hand adding "I miss you," the strategic second thought that undermines the entire letter's careful tone. It is the ink already drying when another thought intrudes, the licked envelope suddenly reopened, the hand writing smaller and faster to catch the departing moment—the truest sentiment always arriving, unbidden, after the official end.
Etymology
From New Latin postscriptum, from Latin, neuter of postscriptus, past participle of postscrībō (“write after”), from post (“after”) + scrībō (“write”). By surface analysis, post- + script.
noun
- An addendum to a letter, added after the author's signature.e.g.“As a rule Julian dictated to secretaries, and so fast that Libanius says the "tachygraphers" were unable to keep pace with him, but certain postscripts are marked "with his own hand."” — 1913, Flavius Claudius Iulianus, “Letters of Julian”, in Emily Wilmer Cave Wright, transl., The Works of the Emperor Julian, volume III, Introduction to the letters:
- An addition to a story, play, etc. after its completion.e.g.“In a moving post-script to the novel, Forster tells the reader that the book was inspired by a visit to the home of Edward Carpenter.” — 1974 February 2, Allen Young, “Reviews”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 32, page 7:
verb
- To extend (a letter or another document) with additional remarks.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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