![]() ![]() The third definition suggests a broader, albeit equally vague, start time: “afternoon.” When does afternoon end? When evening begins, presumably. On the other hand, if we consider “bedtime” to be the end of a day no matter when it is, and night to be what happens while you’re asleep, this definition makes quite a bit of sense. The end of this suggested period, however, is “bedtime,” which must vary even more than sunset does. The second definition here adds a slightly more specific start time, 6 p.m. The first, “the close of day,” is a little poetic and maddeningly non-specific, but is probably what the majority of people mean when they use the word “evening.” This is actually three definitions in one. The first definition the Oxford English Dictionary gives for “evening” is “the close of day, especially the time from about 6 p.m., or sunset if earlier, to bedtime the period between afternoon and night.” Wiktionary, an open-source dictionary created by its users and arguably a better benchmark of current usage, lists two slightly different definitions.Īlthough, as already discussed, there’s no definitive answer here, these are useful guideposts as we consider the common meanings of “evening.” The Oxford English Dictionary, considered an authority on the English language, lists two possible definitions for “evening.” That said, we need to have something to go by, so let’s look at a couple of dictionary definitions. Sometimes there are just cultural differences, but for most meanings of “evening” the chief factor is when the sun sets.īecause the time of sunset is determined by the axial tilt of the planet (that is, the season) and your latitude, this means any definition of “evening” is also going to vary.įor instance, if you live in North Dakota and it’s autumn, “evening” is going to start a lot sooner during the day than if you live in Florida and it’s the middle of summer. The exact time-frame for “evening” is up for debate, and the short answer is that there is no precise answer.xĪlthough this seems like it shouldn’t be so hard to figure this out, the reality is that a lot of factors go into figuring out when evening starts. No matter the pronunciation, evening is a very old word. Our best guess, though, is ēbanþs (pronounced something like “evanths”). ![]() Proto-Germanic is a reconstructed language, meaning it was constructed by modern scholars based on comparative research, so of course we don’t know for sure what the exact word for “evening” was or how it was spelled or pronounced. It’s been with us in its current spelling since roughly the 1600s, but its meaning in English stretches back to Anglo-Saxon (Old English), where it was spelled “ǣfnung” and is recorded from the late 900s.Īnd, in fact, according to Wiktionary it’s not even a borrowing in Anglo-Saxon, but rather can be traced in a direct line to, Proto-Germanic, the early ancestor of English which was used as far back as 500 BCE. The etymology of “evening”Įvening has a very long history in the English language. Generally speaking, though, “evening” can be understood to refer to the time of day when it’s starting to get dark but there’s still a little light left to see by. In some regions and dialects, you may also hear people use “evening” to refer to any time of day after 12p.m. People may also use “evening” in a generalized way to refer to a vague time period after afternoon, which unfortunately also doesn’t have a specific definition, but before night. Sometimes, “evening” can be used to refer to any time after work hours are over. This is not the only way the word can be used, however. Because the sun sets at different times of day in different places and at different times of the year, it means there’s no exact time period that can be assigned to “evening.” That said, in many cases people use “evening” to mean after around 6p.m. Typically, however, “evening” refers to the period between dusk or twilight and the onset of night, when the sky is fully dark. There is no exact definition of “evening” that ties it to a specific time of day. Let’s take a look at the complicated nuance, and long history, of this seemingly simple word. ![]() No, that’s not the start of a terrible dad joke. If it’s later than afternoon, but not night yet, what time is it? ![]()
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