Do I Capitalize AM and PM? When emphasizing an exact or precise time, the abbreviations “a.m.” and “p.m.” are used. These two abbreviations stand for the Latin terms “ante meridiem” and “post meridiem,” which literally mean before noon and after noon.

But P.M., on the other hand, stands for “post meridiem,” which is Latin for “afternoon.” It’s used to indicate that a time is in the afternoon or evening, after 12:00 p.m. (noon), or the hour before midnight. What Are A.M. and P.M. of Time?

PM means after noon. It covers the 12 hours from noon to midnight. Using numbers from 1 to 12, followed by am or pm, the 12-hour clock system identifies all 24 hours of the day. For example, 1 am is one hour after midnight, and 5 am is early in the morning; 5 pm is late in the afternoon, while 11 pm is one hour before midnight.

The meaning of AM and PM is ‘Ante Meridiem’ and ‘Post Meridiem’, which means before noon or midday. We associate P.M. with the afternoon and evening. P.M. is an abbreviated term for ‘Post Meridiem,’ which implies afternoon or after midday.

In particular, AM stands for ante meridiem, which translates into English as ‘before midday’. Meanwhile, PM is post meridiem and means in English ‘after midday’. These abbreviations are used to identify the time in the 12-hour clock format instead of using 24 hours.

Is Noon AM or PM? The reason why noon is neither a.m. nor p.m. has to do with the meaning of these two abbreviations. The abbreviations “a.m.” and “p.m.” are short for the Latin terms “ante meridiem” and “post meridiem.”

Instead of AM and PM (in small caps), p.m. and a.m. -- with lowercase and periods -- are the preferred way to indicate time of day. According to the The Chicago Manual Style used by journalists.

Oct 3, 2019 · P.m. is an abbreviation of post merīdiem, meaning—you guessed it—“after midday.” These two terms help keep ambiguity at bay in the 12-hour time system. What does m. mean? There is a third, lesser-known abbreviation in this system: m. From the Latin merīdiēs (“midday”), it means “noon.”

May 14, 2020 · “AM” and “PM” are both abbreviations of Latin terms and refer to a specific time of day: AM (ante meridiem) means “before noon,” so it refers to the morning. PM (post meridiem) means “after noon,” so it refers to any time after midday.

Oct 20, 2023 · “pm” stands for “post meridiem,” which means “after noon.” It applies from midday to just before midnight. Distinction and correct use of 12 am and 12 pm. 12:00 noon is referred to as 12 pm, midnight as 12 am. Effective memory techniques for distinguishing between am and pm, e.g. “am” and “morning” both contain an “m”.