Latin today · Abbreviations · Everyday English
Post meridiem
“after midday”
Abbreviation: p.m.
Meaning
What does “Post meridiem” mean?
Post meridiem marks the hours after noon. When you write 7 p.m., you are writing "seven hours after midday" in Latin shorthand. Its partner is ante meridiem (a.m.), "before midday".
In real life
Where you meet it
On clocks, timetables, invitations, emails and every 12-hour time format in the English-speaking world.
Example
“Post meridiem” in a sentence
The meeting starts at 4 p.m., so please be online a few minutes early.
Origin
Where the word comes from
Post means "after" and meridiem is a form of meridies, "midday" (from medius, "middle", and dies, "day"). The Romans divided daylight into hours counted from sunrise, and midday was the turning point.
Pronunciation
How to say it
Usual Englishpoast meh-RID-ee-em
Classical Latinpost meh-RI-di-em
Good to know
Common mistakes
- "12 p.m." is ambiguous for many readers. Style guides recommend writing "noon" and "midnight" instead.
- Don’t combine p.m. with "in the evening" ("8 p.m. in the evening") – it says the same thing twice.
- The word is meridiem, not "meridian".
- Latin
- Post meridiem
- Abbreviation
- p.m.
- Literally
- after midday
- Used in
- Abbreviations, Everyday English
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