midnight

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) The middle of the night: the sixth temporal hour, equidistant between sunset and sunrise.
2. (countable, uncountable) Twelve o'clock at night exactly.
3. (countable, uncountable) Synonym of boxcars (“a pair of sixes”).

Adj

Utterly dark or black.

Opposite of

noon, midday

Synonyms

dead of night

depth of night

noon

🕛

night

🌃

middle of the night

twelve o’clock

late night

midday

nighttime

nocturnal

noonday

noone

noontide

noontime

midnight blue

black of night

night time

thick darkness

noon-time

12 am

12:00 a.m.

minuit

at night

Nighthaw

bedtime

darkness

evening

🌆

half

high noon

mi

Translations

minuit

Mitternacht

mezzanotte

middernacht

medianoche

mitjanit

meia-noite

gece yarısı

μεσάνυχτα

mièjanuèch

منتصف الليل

media nox

Mitte der Nacht

μσάνυχτα

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈmɪdnʌɪt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: midnight

Inherited from Old English: midniht

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Midnoacht

Cognate with Old High German: mittinaht

Cognate with Danish: midnat

Cognate with Swedish: midnatt

Cognate with Icelandic: miðnætti

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: Middernoacht

Cognate with Dutch: middernacht

Cognate with German: Mitternacht

In summary

From Middle English midnight, from Old English midniht, from Proto-Germanic *midjanahts (“midnight”), equivalent to mid- + night. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Midnoacht (“midnight”), Old High German mittinaht (“midnight”), Danish midnat (“midnight”), Swedish midnatt (“midnight”), Icelandic miðnætti (“midnight”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Middernoacht (“midnight”), Dutch middernacht (“midnight”), German Mitternacht (“midnight”).

Sentences

It was now near midnight .