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Noon

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means twelve o'clock in the day; midday

Where does the word "noon" come from? It comes from Latin nona hora, passing through Old English before entering English (1300s).

nona hora→nōn→noon

Latin · classical

"ninth hour, about 3 pm"

'the ninth hour' counted from sunrise, about 3 pm; the monastic office of None was said then

Old English · medieval

borrowed through the Church for the mid-afternoon service and meal

English · 1300s

"12 o'clock midday"

shifted to midday between the 1100s and 1300s; one explanation is that fasts ended at None, which gave an incentive to say it earlier

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Noon’s story begins in Latin: nona hora meant “ninth hour, about 3 pm.” 'the ninth hour' counted from sunrise, about 3 pm; the monastic office of None was said then. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old English as nōn. Borrowed through the Church for the mid-afternoon service and meal. It reached English by 1300s as noon. Shifted to midday between the 1100s and 1300s; one explanation is that fasts ended at None, which gave an incentive to say it earlier. Today, noon means twelve o'clock in the day; midday.