Short for afternoon; the time period after noon and before evening.
Australian English slang, shortened form of 'afternoon' that emerged in the early 1900s. The abbreviation reflects Australian culture's casual, efficient speech patterns and became widespread in British and Commonwealth English.
Australians are famous for shortening words—they say 'arvo' the way Americans might say 'afternoon' formally, and it's become such a distinct marker of Australian English that it appears in international dictionaries!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.