Twelve o’clock in the daytime; the middle of the day when the sun is highest in the sky. Often thought of as 12:00 p.m.
From Old English “nōn,” which originally meant the ninth hour after sunrise (around 3 p.m.) in the Roman way of counting hours. Over time, daily schedules and prayer times shifted, and the word slid earlier to mean midday.
It’s surprising that “noon” used to mean around 3 p.m., not 12. This time shift shows how language quietly adjusts to human routines—when daily meals and prayers moved, the word ‘noon’ simply followed them.
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