noon
- 01 C1 Advanced
n.the highest or most successful point of something.
n.the highest point, culmination, or peak of a period or career.
Simple“The empire reached its noon during the eighteenth century.”
In context“The poet was in the noon of his fame when he suddenly decided to stop publishing and live in isolation.”
Usageoften used with 'of' to describe a period of time or a career
- 02 C2 Proficiency
n.an old word for the middle of the night.
n.the middle of the night; midnight. This sense is no longer used in modern English.
Simple“The clock struck the hour of noon in the dark, silent house.”
In context“In the ancient poem, the ghosts were said to walk abroad at the stroke of noon, meaning the dead of night.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is strictly for reading historical literature; using it in modern speech will cause total confusion.
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
v.to take a rest or a nap during the middle of the day.
v.to rest or take a midday meal or nap. Intransitive; primarily used in rural or historical contexts.
Simple“The workers decided to noon under the shade of the large oak tree.”
In context“The cattle were left to noon in the valley while the herders prepared their own lunch by the stream.”
Synonymssiestanap
“Mourners began arriving from 7.30am for the noon service, bringing camping chairs and supplies, with some having travelled from as far away as Germany and Austria.”
“Her family said a celebration of her life will be held at Swansea Minster (St Mary’s Church) on Monday at noon.”
From Middle English noen, none, non, from Old English nōn (“the ninth hour”), from a Germanic borrowing of classical Latin nōna (“ninth hour”) (short for nōna hōra), feminine of nōnus (“ninth”). Cognate with Dutch noen, obsolete German Non, Norwegian non.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.