Normally we hear people all the time using the word O’Clock, but have we tried to find out what it really means?
What O’clock means may shock you to know.
The O’clock we are talking about here is the normal word we use every day for our day to day communications. E.g 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock.
To show clarification and to specifically point out the time we are emphasizing, we use the p.m and a.m. This helps one know when the time given refers to the morning hours or subsequent hours. E.g 4 o’clock p.m, 7 o’clock a.m, 7 o’clock p.m, 9 o’clock a.m, 9 o’clock p.m.
One may be asking how to know which of these abbreviations refer to the morning or evening hours and the idea to know which is which, lies in the reader’s ability to discern and define both a.m and p.m. that means knowing what they stand for.
In this article I will explain how you can determine which is which by first of all providing you with their correct meanings.
Let us first of all define clock according to Wikipedia “A clock is an instrument to indicate, keep, and co-
ordinate time . The word clock is derived ultimately (via
Dutch , Northern French, and Medieval Latin ) from the
Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning ” bell “. A silent
instrument missing such a striking mechanism has
traditionally been known as a timepiece .In general
usage today a “clock” refers to any device for measuring
and displaying the time. Watches and other timepieces
that can be carried on one’s person are often
distinguished from clocks.” -credit Wikipedia.
With that simple but concise explanation of time, let’s now go into the full meaning of a.m and p.m and from there we head to our main topic.
A.m simply means ante-meridian which is derived from Latin but in English it stands for before midday or before noon.
P.m simply means post-meridian which is derived from Latin but in English it stands for after midday or after noon.
Having explained the necessary points needed, now let’s get down to what brought us here. O’clock simply means “of the clock” i.e 2 o’clock p.m can be read “2 of the clock p.m.” surprised to know?
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