meridies Latin · revision 8337
16 Oct 2026, 16:02 by bogdan “New Latin entry (sources: de Vaan, OLD, Lewis & Short, TLL...)” current version
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+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=Law of the Twelve Tables|origins=la medius, la diēs}}
+
+ ==Pronunciation==
+ * IPA (Classical): [mɛˈriː.di.eːs]^(Wiktionary)
+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [meˈriː.di.es]^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Forms==
+ '''merīdiēs''' ''m'' (genitive merīdiēī); fifth declension^(Wiktionary)
+
+ ==Etymology==
+ It is a back-formation from the adverb ⟨merīdiē⟩ “at noon”, by dissimilation from ⟨*medī-diē⟩, the locative of [[medius]] “middle” and [[diēs]] “day”.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(Köbler 2010) The sense “south” comes from the sun's position at noon.^(Wiktionary) Isidore explains it as ⟨medīdiēs⟩, or from ⟨merum⟩ “pure”, since the sky is then purest.^(Isidore)
+
+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==
+ Köbler's first source is the Law of the Twelve Tables, about 450 BC.^(Köbler 2010) The OLD's earliest citation for noon is from Terence.^(OLD 2012)
+
+ ==Semantic evolution==
+ It meant midday, noon, as in Terence, and in Cato the position of the sun at noon, the south.^(OLD 2012) Döderlein explains that ''merīdiēs'' is noon as a point of time between forenoon and afternoon, while ''medius diēs'' is the middle of the day as a span.^(Döderlein 1874)
+
+ In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant midday, noon, south, and ''per merīdiem'' at noon.^(Stelten 1995) British Medieval Latin used ''merīdiēs noctis'' for midnight.^(DMLBS) It survives in Italian ''meriggio'', and English uses ''ante merīdiem'' and ''post merīdiem'' abbreviated [[en|a.m.]] and [[en|p.m.]].^(Wiktionary)^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Timeline==
+ * c. 450 BC – The Twelve Tables use it.^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of the south.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 190–159 BC – Terence uses it of noon.^(OLD 2012)^(Köbler 2010)
+ * 1660s – English ''p.m.'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)
+
+ ==Meanings==
+ ===Noun===
+ # Midday, [[m|en|noon]].^(OLD 2012)
+ # The [[m|en|south]].^(OLD 2012)
+
+ ==Word family==
+ * [[merīdiālis]]
+ * [[merīdiānus]]
+ * [[merīdiōnālis]]
+ * [[meridionarius]]
+ * [[prōmerīdiē]]
+ * [[antemerīdiem]]
+ * [[merīdiō]]
+
+ ==Related words==
+ * [[diēs]]
+ * [[merīdiē]]
+ * [[medius]]
+ * [[en|a.m.]]
+ * [[en|p.m.]]
+
+ ==Usage notes==
+ Döderlein distinguishes it from ''medius diēs''.^(Döderlein 1874)
+
+ ==References==
+ {{reflist}}