指向一段時間的後半
兩個意思是同一個動作，差別只在那段時間有沒有延伸到今天。
r · C2
Towards the end of a period of time; during the last part of a stretch of time that is now finished.
到後期、最後那幾年
核心畫面
Take any stretch of time and cut it in two. Latterly points at the back half. That is all the word does — 'latter' already means the later of two things, and -ly turns it into a place on a timeline. Everything else depends on where the stretch stops. If it stopped in the past, the back half is the closing years of a career or a life. If it runs right up to today, the back half is now, and the word reads as 'recently'.
「latterly」可以想成：把一段時間切成前後兩半，然後伸手指著後面那一半。latter 本來就是「兩個之中後面那…更多收起
「latterly」可以想成：把一段時間切成前後兩半，然後伸手指著後面那一半。latter 本來就是「兩個之中後面那個」，加上 -ly 就成了時間軸上的一個位置。剩下的差別只看那段時間停在哪裡。已經收在過去，指到的就是一段生涯或一生的尾聲。一路延伸到今天，指到的就是眼前這陣子，讀起來自然變成「近來」。兩個意思其實是同一根手指，指在同一個位置上。From the word’s history
From latter + -ly, as the source states. The 'later of two' meaning of latter is still doing all the work in both senses.
來源記載這個字就是 latter 加上 -ly。latter 的「兩者中後面那個」直到今天都還撐著這個字的兩個意思，沒有變過。
Wiktionary etymology for 'latterly' in the supplied evidence packet (source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1188837054:4206): 'From latter + -ly.'
One branch