What does AM and PM stand for when referring to time?
Question #83587. Asked by SueHoward7.
Last updated May 25 2023.
Ingold
Answer has 8 votes
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Ingold 18 year member
139 replies
Answer has 8 votes.
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These abbreviations represent the Latin phrases ante/post meridiem, which mean 'before/after midday'. They have been in use in English since the 17th century.
askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwordorigins/meridiem no longer exists
Response last updated by gtho4 on May 25 2023.
Jul 20 2007, 6:41 AM
robraw
Answer has 6 votes
robraw 20 year member
118 replies
Answer has 6 votes.
am for ante meridian (before noon) and pm for post meridian (post noon)
The 12 hour clock is a timekeeping convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem (a.m., from Latin, literally "before the middle day", idiomatically "approaching midday") and post meridiem (p.m., "after the middle day"). Each period consists of 12 hours numbered 12 (acting as zero), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Hourly time periods run 12:00 through 11:59 either ante meridiem or post meridiem.[1] When referencing twelve o'clock the descriptor is either noon or midnight.
http://www.worldtimezone.com/wtz-names/wtz-am-pm.html