兩者中的後者
直接就是核心：剛提到兩樣東西，latter 指後面那一個。形容詞修飾名詞，名詞則單獨代替那個東西。
the latter (adjective) · adjective · B2
Being the second of two just mentioned, or the last in a list.
後者的／後面那個的
核心畫面
Picture two things lined up in the order you just named them: the 'former' is the one that came first, the 'latter' is the one further along — the second, later one. At root 'latter' just means 'the later of two', and everything else is that same idea of 'nearer the end'.
可以想成你剛剛依序講出來的兩樣東西排成一列：先講的那個是 former（前者），排在後面、比較晚的那個就是 latt…更多收起
可以想成你剛剛依序講出來的兩樣東西排成一列：先講的那個是 former（前者），排在後面、比較晚的那個就是 latter（後者）。這個字骨子裡就是「兩個當中比較後面／比較晚的那一個」，其他用法都是從「靠近尾端」這個念頭延伸出來的。From the word’s history
'Latter' is from Old English lætra, the comparative of læt 'late' — so it literally means 'later, more toward the end'. The sense 'the second of two just mentioned' is recorded from the 1550s.
latter 來自古英語 lætra，是 læt（late，晚）的比較級——字面意思就是「比較晚的、比較靠後的」。這正好說明它的核心：兩者之中「後面那一個」。「剛提到的兩者中的第二個」這個用法約在 1550 年代出現。看清它就是 late 的比較級，就不會把它和 later 混掉：latter 講的是次序上的後者，不是時間上的晚點。
etymonline.com/word/latter
Two branches
時期的後段
把「比較後面」從兩樣東西挪到一段時間上：一段期間裡靠近結束的那半段，也就最貼近 late 這個字根「晚、接近尾聲」的原意。
the latter part (of a period) · adjective · B2
Used about the part of a period of time that is nearest to its end.
後半的／末期的
原始詞典資料3 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
latteradj/ˈlæt.ə(ɹ)/
- 1
Near (or nearer) to the end.
- the latter part of the century
- 2
In the past, but close (or closer) to the present time.
- In his latter years my dad became very absent-minded.
- Hath not navigation discovered in these latter ages, whole nations at the bay of Soldania […]?
latternoun/ˈlæt.ə(ɹ)/
- 1
Relating to or being the second of two items.
- The archaic past participle shapen is only used in misshapen, ill-shapen, and well-shapen (the latter two are much less common, though).
- the difference between reason and revelation, and in what sense the latter is superior
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。