'aftereffect' originates from the combination of 'after' and 'effect', where 'after' meant 'following in time' and 'effect' meant 'a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause'.

'aftereffect' changed from the Old English word 'æfter' and the Latin word 'effectus', eventually becoming the modern English word 'aftereffect'.

Initially, it meant 'a result following an action', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.