æfter middæġe
Old English had no single word for "afternoon". The clearest way to say it is æfter middæġe, "after midday".
Time was often told by the church hours. The ninth hour, about three in the afternoon, was nōn, borrowed from Latin nōna hōra.
Meaning: part of the day between noon and evening (noun)
Which one should you use?
ǣfen means "evening", the later part of the day after the afternoon.
How do you pronounce it?
ġ sounds like the y in "yes", so the phrase sounds roughly like "AF-ter MID-day-yeh".
Did you know?
- English "noon" comes from Old English nōn, the ninth hour after sunrise, about three in the afternoon. The name later moved to midday.
Examples in context
- Wē cumaþ æfter middæġe.We will come in the afternoon.
