Social media users are baffled by the true meaning of ‘AM’ and ‘PM’
What time it is is something that most people learn at the age of seven.
Despite this, it seems that many people are still unclear about the true meaning of two of the most basic terms: ‘am’ and ‘pm’.
Confused X users have flooded the platform to discuss the topic, with one claiming that ‘my mind just exploded’.
The debate was sparked by
The tweet has been viewed more than 21 million times, with thousands of users giving their best guesses in the comments.
“After midnight and after midnight,” one user suggested.
Another wrote: ‘On my mind, morning and early morning,’ while one simply said: ‘Literally never thought about it and only learned about it today.’
Do you know what ‘am’ and ‘pm’ actually stand for?
What time it is is something that most people learn at the age of seven. Despite this, it seems that many people are still unclear about the true meaning of two of the most basic terms: ‘am’ and ‘pm’.
The debate was sparked by
One confused social media user simply said: ‘Literally never thought about it and just learned today’
The 12-hour clock divides the 24-hour day into two periods.
‘Am’ is the time before noon and stands for ‘ante meridium’.
This is a Latin phrase that translates to ‘before noon’.
‘Pm’, meanwhile, is the time after noon and stands for ‘post meridiem’, or ‘after noon’.
Where this can cause some confusion is when it comes to 12 o’clock.
‘Noon’ means ‘noon’ or 12 hours of daytime. “Midnight” refers to 12 o’clock at night. Simple, right?’ Royal Museums Greenwich said.
“Well, maybe not, especially if you’re using a 12-hour clock.”
When most people say “noon” they are usually talking about the middle of the day.
One user suggested that ‘am’ and ‘pm’ stand for ‘after midnight’ and ‘after midnight’
“On my mind, both this morning and last morning,” one user tweeted
Confused X users have flooded the platform to discuss the topic, with one claiming ‘my mind just exploded’
On the other hand, when they say “12 noon” they normally mean midnight.
However, neither is technically correct.
‘Afternoon is neither ‘ante’ (am) nor ‘post’ (pm) meridiem. Midnight is not am or pm either,” Royal Museums Greenwich explained.
To avoid confusion, the experts recommend simply saying “12 p.m.” or “12 p.m.” instead.
“Alternatively, you could use the 24-hour clock system, where 12:00 is noon and 00:00 (or 24:00) is midnight,” she added.