midnight

== English == === Etymology === 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”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈmɪd(ˌ)naɪt/ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): [ˈmɪd̚naɪt] (Standard Southern British) IPA(key): [ˈmɪd̚(ˌ)nɑjt], [ˈmɪ̞d̚nʌjt] (General American) IPA(key): [ˈmɪd̚ˌnɐɪt] (Canada) IPA(key): [ˈmɪ̞d̚nəjt] (General Australian) IPA(key): [ˈmɪ̝d̚(ˌ)nɑɪt] Rhymes: -ɪdnʌɪt, -ɪdnaɪt Hyphenation: mid‧night === Noun === midnight (countable and uncountable, plural midnights) The middle of the night: the sixth temporal hour, equidistant between sunset and sunrise. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:midnight Antonyms: noon, midday Twelve o'clock at night exactly. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:midnight (dice games) Synonym of boxcars (“a pair of sixes”). ==== Usage notes ==== (twelve o'clock): When attached to a specific date, such as midnight on July 12, it may be ambiguous as to whether the time refers to 00:00 (the start of day) or 24:00 (the end of day); this must be resolved with context. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Adjective === midnight (not comparable) (poetic) Utterly dark or black. === See also ===