Noondays

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The time around noon, often associated with midday rituals or activities of rest and reflection
2. A specific hour when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, signifying the middle of the day
3. A period traditionally linked to breaks and gatherings, characterized by communal meals or downtime in various cultures

Etymology: "Noondays" is the plural of "noonday," which is a noun meaning the middle of the day, or the midday hours. It is an inflected form, so the story belongs to its base word. "Noonday" is a compound formed from "noon" and "day." "Noon" comes from Old English "non," which referred to the ninth hour of the day, counted from sunrise, roughly three in the afternoon, before the word settled on midday. "Day" is the everyday English word for the period of daylight, and the two combine to name the bright middle portion of that daylight period.