media nox
feminine
The English phrase "midnight" is translated into Latin as media nox. Wiktionary also lists intempestum.
Meaning: 12 o'clock at night exactly (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| media nox | feminine | |
| intempestum | [ɪn.tɛmˈpɛs.tũː] (Classical Latin, narrow) [in.temˈpɛs.tum] (narrow) |
neuter |
media nox refers specifically to the exact time of 12 o'clock at night.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase media nox literally means "middle of the night", consisting of media, which is the feminine form of "middle" and nox, meaning "night".
Which one should you use?
While media nox refers to the specific time of midnight, the form intempestum is used to describe something occurring at an inappropriate, unseasonable or untimely hour.
How does it change in a sentence?
media nox is a feminine noun phrase.
Did you know?
- The term intempesta nox was used by Romans to refer to a personified goddess of the stormy or unhealthy night.
- Roman timekeeping was based on daylight hours, making a precise 'midnight' less about a clock and more about the midpoint of darkness.
- The word nox shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'night', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root *nókʷts.
Examples in context
- Media nox est.It's midnight.Tatoeba #5146140 by alexmarcelo, translation #456183 by lukaszpp
- Media nox erat.It was midnight.Tatoeba #5146142 by alexmarcelo, translation #3804626 by eric_vandenburg
- Media nox venit.Midnight comes.
Example conversation
A quiet house during the night.
- ClaudiaMedia nox est nunc.It is midnight now.
- GaiusCur non dormis, Claudia?Why are you not sleeping, Claudia?
- ClaudiaTenebrae me terrent.The darkness scares me.
- GaiusNoli timere, mea uxor.Do not fear, my wife.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “midnight” translations and entries intempestum, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries intempestum, nox, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
