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Where does the word "hour" come from? It comes from Latin hora, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
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Where does the word "hour" come from? It comes from Latin hora, passing through Old French before entering English (1200s).
Hour’s story begins in Latin: hora meant “hour, season.” From Greek 'hōra', a season or time of day. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as ure. The h was silent in French and stayed silent in English. It reached English by 1200s as hour. Replaced Old English 'tid' and 'stund'. Today, hour means a period of sixty minutes.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient hora "hour, season", from Greek 'hōra', a season or time of day.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval ure "hour", the h was silent in French and stayed silent in English.
- Stage 3 · English · 1200s hour "one twenty-fourth of a day", replaced Old English 'tid' and 'stund'.