Forenoons

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The period of time from sunrise until noon, marked by morning activities and tasks
2. The hours of the morning before midday, often associated with productivity and routine
3. The segment of the day that occurs before noon, typically characterized by a transition from night to day

Etymology: "Forenoons" is simply the plural of "forenoon," so its story is the story of that base word. "Forenoon" was formed in Middle English from "fore-," meaning "before," and "noon," the middle of the day. Together they named the stretch of the day leading up to midday, a plain compound that English speakers built the same way they built other time words. The plural form means the word is used to refer to several separate mornings, as in "the forenoons we spent in the study." The word's structure is transparent: a reader can see both parts at once, which is part of why it has stayed easy to understand for centuries.

Synonyms: mornings, early hours