This is what the "o" in o'clock actually means

Updated Sept. 4, 2024, 6:37 a.m. | By Breakfast with Martin Bester

Do you know what the common phrase o'clock actually means? Well, we have the answer.

We often use common phrases that have become part of our daily lives without knowing where they originated or what they really mean.

The latest phrase to grab the attention of social media users is "o'clock".

The question first arose on social media platforms Threads and X, with many people admitting that they never took a moment to really understand it.

Many people worldwide use o'clock to indicate the hour of the day or night, using it to indicate the position or direction on a clock dial.

When it came to what the word really meant or stood for, people were shocked to find out that it was actually quite simple.

The phrase o'clock is a contraction of the words "of the clock".

So, when you say, "It's nine o'clock", you're actually saying "it's nine of the clock".

Some creative guesses were also shared on social media, with some saying they thought it meant "on the dot".

For example, "It's nine on the dot."

Others thought it referred to the shape of a watch, which is round, or that it stood for "zero minutes".

For example, similarly to "on the dot", it was assumed that it referred to exactly 09:00 and not any minutes after that.

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IMAGE: iStock/ seb_ra