Etymograph

English

afternoon

Afternoon comes from Middle English afternone.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afternone1
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1593afternoon1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English afternoon
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Third. […] (First Quarto): “Buck.[…]Theſe both put by a poore petitioner A care-crazd…”.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500afternoneWiktionary, English afternoon
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1593afternoonWiktionary, English afternoon. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard the Third. […] (First Quarto): “Buck.[…]Theſe both put by a poore petitioner A care-crazd…”

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Today it means

noun The part of the day from noon or lunchtime until sunset, evening, or suppertime or 6pm.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “afternoon”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English afternone / afternoon