If you've spent years thinking you know what AM and PM mean, you could be wrong - for some people have been left amazed after learning the history behind the abbreviations. While it should not come as a shock the terms are used to refer to the morning and the afternoon, you might be surprised to realise AM does not stand for 'after midnight', while PM isn't quite the same as 'past morning'.
It seems plenty of social media users were stunned to discover this fact after one inquisitive woman questioned what the two terms mean. In a post to TikTok, @amayaclarke08 asked: "What does AM or PM actually stand for?"
In response, lots of viewers were quick to admit they did not know. Others tried to guess the answer. Replying to the English teen's video, which gained thousands of views, one commenter guessed: "At morning and past morning." A second joked: " Andy Murray and post malone." And several commenters confidently answered: "After midnight past midday."
However, the terms mean 'before midday' and 'after midday'. Royal Museums Greenwich, the home of Greenwich Mean Time, explained: "AM stands for the Latin ante meridiem, translating to 'before midday'. This is the time before the sun has crossed the meridian. PM stands for post meridiem or 'after midday' – after the sun has crossed the meridian."
It is for this reason you shouldn't call midday 12pm, according to the experts. "At exactly 12 noon, the Sun is at its highest point in the sky and directly over the meridian. It is therefore neither 'ante' (am) nor 'post' (pm) meridiem. At 12 midnight it also neither am nor pm."
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