'postdivorce' originates from the Latin prefix 'post-' meaning 'after' combined with the English noun 'divorce' (from Old French 'divorcer' and Latin 'divortium'), where 'divortium' related to separation.

'postdivorce' is a modern English compound formed by prefixing 'post-' to the existing word 'divorce' (which came into English via Old French 'divorcer' from Latin 'divortium'); the compound itself appears in contemporary English usage rather than in older historical stages.

Initially the elements meant 'after' + 'separation'; over time the compound came to be used specifically for the social, legal, and emotional period or characteristics 'after a divorce', a usage consistent with its parts but broadened to cover contexts (e.g., emotional, financial, legal).