(Dan Tri) - The use of "AM" and "PM" to indicate time has become very familiar, however, the true meaning of these two terms is something that many people do not know, even those who use English as their mother tongue.
Recently, a post on social network X attracted more than 21 million views, more than 4,500 replies, 6,500 shares and 160,000 emotional interactions. Although this is not a new question, many people are still interested and have made comments.
The use of "AM" and "PM" to indicate hours has become very familiar (Photo: iStock).
Some people believe that "AM" and "PM" stand for "After Midnight" and "Past Midnight", or "At Morning" and "Past Morning".
Many people say they just use "AM" and "PM" out of habit and have never thought to find out the real meaning behind these two terms.
In English, a 24-hour day is divided into two time periods. "AM" refers to the time before noon. It is an abbreviation of "ante meridiem", a Latin phrase meaning "before noon".
"PM" refers to the time after noon. It is an abbreviation for "post meridiem," a Latin phrase meaning "after noon."
There is a very confusing case, which is the exact time of 12 o'clock. Many people often use "12PM" to talk about 12 noon; "12AM" to talk about 12 midnight. However, this usage is incorrect.
According to the Royal Greenwich Museum (UK), the times "noon" and "midnight" are not suitable for using the terms "AM" or "PM". To avoid confusion, the British culture expert of the Royal Greenwich Museum advises English speakers to say "12 noon" to mean 12 noon and "12 midnight" to mean 12 midnight.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/du-da-su-dung-rat-nhieu-nhung-ban-co-biet-am-va-pm-thuc-ra-la-gi-chua-20250111101840885.htm
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