Middays

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The times around noon when the sun is at its highest point in the sky
2. periods of the day typically designated for a break or meal at midday
3. instances of midday when activities, rituals, or events may occur in relation to noon

Etymology: "Middays" is simply the plural of "midday," and the plural form is the only one that needs a sentence of explanation here. Midday itself is an old compound: Old English "middæġ" joined "mid," meaning middle, with "dæġ," day, to name the middle of the daylight hours, a sense it kept through Middle English. The compound was no rarity in its family. Its relatives across the Germanic languages carry the same idea: German "Mittag," Dutch "middag," Swedish "middag," and Scots "midday" all name the middle of the day, and many of them stretch the meaning into the early afternoon. English kept the image of the day split in two, with "midday" marking the point where the sun stands highest.

Synonyms: noon, midday, noontime, high noon, zenith

Antonyms: midnight, night