[what is hunted] early 14c., quirre "entrails of deer placed on the hide and given to dogs of the chase as a reward," from Anglo-French quirreie, Old French cuiriee "the spoil, quarry" (Modern French curée), altered (by influence of Old French cuir "skin," from Latin corium "hide"), from Old French corée "viscera, entrails," from Vulgar Latin *corata "entrails," from Latin cor "heart" (from PIE root *kerd- "heart").

The original meaning is obsolete. The sense of "beast of the chase when pursued or slain in a hunt" is by 1610s, also "any object of eager pursuit;" earlier "bird targeted by a hawk or other raptor" (late 15c.).

"a person's offspring, descendants collectively," late 14c., posterite, from Old French posterité (14c.), from Latin posteritatem (nominative posteritas) "future, future time; after-generation, offspring;" literally "the condition of coming after," from posterus "coming after, subsequent," from post "after" (see post-). Old English words for this included æftercneoreso, framcynn.

Latin, literally "after the fact," from post "behind, after, afterward" + factum "deed, act" (see post- + fact).

"after noon, occurring after the sun has passed the meridian," applied to the time between noon and midnight, 1640s, Latin, from post "after" (see post-) + accusative of meridies "midday, noon" (see meridian).

also after-birth, "placenta, etc., expelled from the uterus after birth," 1580s, perhaps based on older, similar Scandinavian compounds; see after + birth (n.). As "a birth after the death or last will of the father," 1875 (translating Latin agnatio in Roman law). Old English had æfterboren (adj.) "posthumous" in reference to birth.

1530s, "later in time," from Latin posterior "after, later, behind," comparative of posterus "coming after, subsequent," from post "after" (see post-). Meaning "situated behind, later in position than another or others" is from 1630s. Related: Posterial.

Latin, "after this." Especially in post hoc, ergo propter hoc, logical fallacy, literally "after this, therefore because of this."

"act of placing after," 1630s, noun of action from Latin postponere "put after; esteem less; postpone" from post "after" (see post-) + ponere "to put, place" (see position (n.)). Perhaps modeled on French postposition. Related: Postposit (v., 1660s); postpositive; postpositional.

"write after, write as a postscript," 1610s, a back-formation from postscript or else from Latin postscribere "write after."

c. 1300, from Old French venesoun "meat of large game," especially deer or boar, also "a hunt," from Latin venationem (nominative venatio) "a hunt, hunting, the chase," also "game as the product of the hunt," from venatus, past participle of venari "to hunt, pursue," probably from PIE *wen-a-, from root *wen- (1) "to desire, strive for."