'latecomer' originates from English, a compound of 'late' + 'comer', where 'late' meant 'tardy' or 'not early' and 'comer' derives from 'come' meaning 'to arrive or move toward'.

'late' comes from Old English 'læt' meaning 'slow, tardy'; 'come' comes from Old English 'cuman' meaning 'to come/arrive'. The compound 'latecomer' formed in Modern English by combining these elements to denote 'one who arrives late'.

Initially, the components referred simply to 'late' and 'one who comes,' and the combined word has retained the straightforward meaning 'a person who arrives late.'