1079
postpone
letters and/or numbers that mean a particular small area,
and can be added to a postal address so that letters etc can
be delivered more quickly
post-date /ˌpəʊstˈdeɪt/ v [T] 1 to write a date later than the
actual date of writing on (a letter, cheque etc): My rent's due
on Monday and I'm not paid until Friday - I'll have to
postdate the rent cheque. ➔ compare ANTEDATE, BACK-
DATE 2 to happen later in history than
post-doc-tor-al /ˌpəʊstˈdɒktərəl || -ˈdɑːk-/ also post-doc
/ˌpəstˈdɒk || -ˈdɑːk/ AmE infml — adj of or related to ACADEMIC or professional work following a PHD
poster /ˈpəʊstə/ n a large printed notice, picture, or photo-
graph: They put up posters all round the town advertising the
circus.
poster ,colour n POSTER PAINT
poste res·tante /ˌpəʊst ˈrestɒnt || -reˈstɑnt/ BrE || gen-
eral delivery AmE — n [U] a post office department to
which letters for a traveller can be sent and where they will
be kept until the person collects them
pos-te-ri-or¹ /pɒˈstɪəriər || pɑː-/ adj [no comp.] 1 {F+to} fml
later (than); after 2 [A] (in BIOLOGY) nearer the back ➔
opposite ANTERIOR
posterior² n humor the part of the body a person sits on;
BOTTOM
pos-ter-i-ty /pɒˈsterɪti || pɑː-/ n [U] (people of) the future:
His fame will go down to posterity. (=He will be famous
long after he is dead.) | These wonderful paintings should be
preserved for posterity.
poster paint also poster colour n [C;U] brightly coloured
paint that contains no oil, used e.g. for painting pictures,
advertisements etc
post ex,change n AmE PX
post-fem-i-nist /ˌpəʊstˈfemɪnɪst/ adj developing from
and including the ideas and beliefs of FEMINISM (=a move-
ment supporting equality for women): a postfeminist book/
writer/artist/approach
post-ˈfree especially BrE || postpaid especially AmE — adj, adv
without any (further) charge to the sender for posting: Send
£2 for our post-free catalogue. ➔ compare FREEPOST
post-grad·u·ate /ˌpəʊstˈɡrædʒuɪt || -ˈɡrædʒut/ also
post-grad /-ˈɡræd/ infml also graduate especially AmE — n,
adj (a person doing studies that are) done at a university after
one has received one's first degree: a postgraduate course
post-haste /ˌpəʊstˈheɪst/ adv lit at very great speed; in a
great hurry
post horn n (in the 18th and 19th centuries) a horn blown
by a person riding on a carriage as a signal or warning
post-hu-mous /ˈpɒstjʊməs || ˈpɑːstʃə-/ adj happening after
someone has died —ly adv: The medal was awarded posthu-
mously.
post-ie /ˈpəʊsti/ n especially ScotE, CanE, & AustrE infml a postman
pos-til-ion, -til- /pəˈstɪliən/ n (in former times) a servant
who rides on any of the horses pulling a carriage when there
is no driver on or in the carriage. The words 'my postilion has
been struck by lightning' are sometimes mentioned in jokes
as being a typical, nearly useless phrase found in an old-
fashioned PHRASEBOOK for English people travelling abroad.
post-imˈpressionism n [U] a late 19th-century style of
painting in which paintings have strong colour and a strong
plan —ist n, adj
post-inˈdustrial adj of the period in the late 20th century
and early 21st century when heavy industries (HEAVY INDUS-
TRY) have become less important, computers and ELECTRON-
ICS more important, and people have more free time
pos-ting /ˈpəʊstɪŋ/ n [C] especially BrE an appointment to a
POST⁴, especially in the armed forces: He wasn't very pleased
about his posting to a remote northern town.
Post-It trademark a small piece of paper, usually yellow, that
you can use to add a note to a letter, book, document etc.
You write on the Post-It and stick it on a surface, and it can
be lifted off without causing any damage.
post·man /ˈpəʊstmən/ especially BrE || mailman especially AmE
— n pl. -men /mən/ a person whose job is to collect and deliver letters, parcels etc. People often make jokes about
postmen being chased and bitten by fierce dogs while they
are delivering letters.
Postman Pat a character in British books and television
programmes for children. Postman Pat is a happy postman
who drives around in his VAN delivering letters and packages
with his black and white cat, Jess.
postman's 'knock BrE || post office AmE — n [U] a
children's game in which a player pretends to deliver a letter
to another player and gets a kiss as a reward
post-mark /ˈpəʊstmɑːk || -mɑːrk/ n an official mark made on
a letter, parcel etc, usually over the stamp, showing when
and from where it is sent —postmark v [T usually pass.+obj+n]
The parcel was postmarked Brighton.
post-mas-ter /ˈpəʊstˌmɑːstə || -ˌmæ-/, post-mis-tress
/-ˌmstrɪs/ fem. — n a person in charge of a post office
post me-rid-i-em /ˌpəʊst məˈrɪdiəm/ adv fml rare for PM
post-ˈmodernism a style of building, decoration, art etc,
especially in the 1980s, which uses an unusual mixing of old
and new forms ➔ compare MODERNISM —post-modernist
n, adj
post-mor-tem /ˌpəʊstˈmɔːtəm || -ˈmɔːr-/ n 1 also post·mor-
tem ex,am,iˈnation fml, autopsy — an examination of a dead
body to discover the cause of death 2 an examination of a
plan or event that failed in order to discover the cause of
failure: They held a postmortem on the company's poor sales
results.
post-na-tal /ˌpəʊstˈneɪtəl/ adj tech of or for the time after a
birth, or of a recently born child: postnatal care for mother
and baby | postnatal depression ➔ compare ANTENATAL
post-natal de'pression n [U] an illness in which a woman
feels DEPRESSED after her baby has been born
ˈpost ,office n 1 [C] a building, office, shop etc, which sells
stamps, deals with the post, and does certain other govern-
ment business, such as (in Britain) selling television LICENCES
and paying PENSIONS 2 [U] AmE for POSTMAN'S KNOCK
Post Office, the the government organization responsible
for the mail in the UK. The Post Office also manages the
payment of state PENSIONS and SOCIAL SECURITY payments.
ˈpost office ,box n fml for PO BOX
Post Office 'Counters the part of the British POST OFFICE
that deals with sales of stamps to the public, and provides
other services such as the payment of state PENSIONS and
SOCIAL SECURITY payments, and the selling of road TAX DISCS
for people's cars
Post Office 'Tower, the a former name for the TELECOM
TOWER
post-paid /ˌpəstˈpeɪd/ adj, adv costing nothing to send
because the amount has already been paid: The kit costs
$33.95 postpaid.
post-par-tum /ˌpəʊstˈpɑtəm || -ˈpɑːr-/ adj tech relating to
the time immediately after a woman has a baby ➔ compare
POSTNATAL
post-pone /pəʊsˈpəʊn/ v [T (into, to)] to delay; move to some
later time: We're postponing our holiday until August.
[+v-ing] to postpone making a decision ➔ compare ADJOURN,
CANCEL —ment n [C;U]