Do You Know What AM and PM Actually Means?

You might be mistaken if you’ve believed for years that you understand what AM and PM mean. This is why.

When people discovered the origins of the acronyms, they were astounded. The fact that the terms are used to refer to the morning and the afternoon should not come as a surprise, but you might be startled to learn that AM does not stand for “after midnight” and that PM is not nearly the same as “past morning.”

Even if you’re not surprised, many social media users were when they learned this information when one enquiring woman questioned the differences between the two phrases. @amayaclarke08 posed the following question on TikTok: “What does AM or PM actually stand for?”

Many viewers immediately admitted they had no idea in response. Others attempted to make guesses, but this in turn indicated that some weren’t entirely certain of the origins.

One commentator made the following assumption in response to the English teen’s video, which received thousands of views: “At morning and past morning.” Another jokingly said, “Andy Murray and post-Malone.” And a number of commenters boldly responded, “After midnight past noon.”

The phrases, however, refer to “before noon” and “after noon.” According to Royal Museums Greenwich, which keeps track of Greenwich Mean Time: “Am stands for ante meridiem, which means “before noon” in Latin. The sun has not yet crossed the meridian at this time. Post meridiem, also known as “after midday,” refers to the time after the sun has passed the meridian.”

The experts advise against calling at noon (12pm). “The Sun is directly over the meridian and at its highest point in the sky at precisely noon. Since it is neither “ante” (in the morning) nor “post,” it is not meridiem. At midnight, neither am nor pm is present.”

So, there you have got it. If the Latin behind the shortened forms is news to you, you’ve likely still been utilizing them at the proper time of the day, unless you’ve been talking around noon or midnight. On the off chance that you have got at that point do not stress, because it sounds like you likely weren’t the as it were one.