Have you ever wondered what the AM and PM acronyms stand for when telling the time? Well, if your answer is YES, relax—you are in the right place. You will learn that today! AM simply stands for ANTE MERIDIEM, and PM stands for POST MERIDIEM. But that’s not all. Read on to learn more!
AM and PM are used hand-to-hand with the 12-hour clock format split by default 24 hours a day into two periods, which last for 12 hours each, and both periods are designated AM and PM, respectively.
Each period consists of 12 hours numbered from 1 to 12; the 12 in this cycle act as zero. Therefore, the 24-hour cycle that makes a day begin at midnight is usually indicated as 12 a.m.
The cycle also runs through 12 noon, which is indicated as 12 p.m., respectively. It continues just before midnight at the end of the day.
Some people say that AM and PM are mere acronyms, whereas others say it is just a random word indicating day and night,
what is your view? Whatever your take is, you will get the correct meaning at the end of the article, so keep reading.
Before we proceed, you should be informed that the 12-hour clock format was developed from the middle of the second millennium BC to the 16th century AD.
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What Does AM And PM Stand For
Without much ado, let us now see what AM and PM mean and how they should be written.
AM is an abbreviation for ANTE MERIDIEM. In Latin, it means ‘before midday’ or ‘before noon.’
Example: 10.00 am 10 o’clock in the morning. With a 24-hour time, this is 10:00.
PM is an abbreviation for Post Meridiem. In Latin, it means “After Midday” or “after noon.”
For example, 10:00 pm is 10 o’clock in the evening. With a 24-hour time zone, this is 22:00.
In countries that use the English language heavily, a 12-hour time is used solely. So, in the sense of writing, the time is just 12 hours, but there are 24 hours in one day.
The primary determinant to scale if the time penned down is in the evening or morning period of the day is through the AM/PM timescale.
The majority of countries in Europe mostly use the twenty-four-hour written time where 0-12 hours signifies the morning period while 13-24 hours signify the afternoon and evening period of the day.
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Converting 12-Hour to 24-Hour Format
A 24-hour clock, sometimes referred to as military time, states the time according to the number of hours that have passed since midnight.
Starting at midnight, hours are numbered from 0 to 24, removing the need for designations like am and pm. For example, at 23:00, 23 hours have passed since the beginning of the current day.
To convert am or pm time to a 24-hour Format, use these rules:
- From midnight to 12:59 am, subtract 12 hours.
12:49 am = 0:49 (12:49 – 12) - From 1 am to noon, do nothing.
11:49 am = 11:49 - From 12:01 pm to 12:59 pm, do nothing.
12:49 pm = 12:49 - From 1:00 pm to midnight, add 12 hours.
1:49 pm = 13:49 (1:49 + 12)
Here’s how to convert time on a 24-hour clock to a 12-hour system:
- From 0:00 (midnight) to 0:59, add 12 hours and use am.
0:49 = 12:49 am (0:49 + 12) - From 1:00 to 11:59, add am after the time.
11:49 = 11:49 am - From 12:00 to 12:59, add pm after the time.
12:49 = 12:49 pm - From 13:00 to 0:00, subtract 12 hours and use pm.
13:49 = 1:49 pm (13:49 - 12)
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