While some people's comments accurately guessed this, there were others on social media who were unaware of the correct meaning.
One person's comment: I have a hard time call midnight 12 am!; because it’s nighttime! And midday is daytime, so it feels wrong to call it 12 pm. I understand the nomenclature, but find it’s definition of the hours of 12 to be confusing in normal conversation. So I will persist in calling them 12 noon and 12 midnight; or just noon and midnight.
Another wrote: Use the 24hr clock instead - start at 00:01 and finish at 23:59 for the avoidance of doubt….If you feel you must use AM and PM then you also need to use “Midnight” and “Midday” ‘cos 12 AM and 12 PM could be the same time and don’t actually exist independently …
Someone else wrote: AM = Ante meridiem means before midday.PM = Post meridiem means after midday.
As we know, one of their meanings is describing time on a 12-hour clock. However, in the comments, many assumed it stands for 'after midnight' and 'past midday,' which makes sense.
People believe the terms AM and PM are used to refer to the morning and afternoon on a 12-hour clock. However, you might be surprised to realize that AM does not stand for 'after midnight,' and PM isn't quite the same as 'past morning,' as many people assume.
A recent revelation on social media has shed light on their actual meanings, as reported by the Mirror.
The explanation comes from Museums Greenwich, the home of Greenwich Mean Time: "am stands for the Latin ante meridiem, translating to 'before midday'. This is the time before the sun has crossed the meridian. pm stands for post meridiem or 'after midday' – after the sun has crossed the meridian."
According to the experts, it is, for this reason, you shouldn't call midday 12pm, "At exactly 12 noon, the Sun is at its highest point in the sky and directly over the meridian. It is therefore neither 'ante' (am) nor 'post' (pm) meridiem. At 12 midnight it also neither am nor pm."
So, if you weren't aware of the Latin origins behind the abbreviations, you've likely still been using them correctly for most of the day, except for when referring to noon or midnight. And if you have used them that way, don't worry, as you wouldn't be the only one.
