noon [OE] Noon originally meant ‘the ninth hour from sunrise’, approximately 3pm. It came from the Latin phrase nona hora ‘ninth hour’. The time change appears to have occurred in the Middle Ages: examples of noon meaning ‘midday’ are found from around 1225, and by the 14th century it seems to be the usual sense. The Church service of nones gives a clue as to why its meaning shifted. Nones—from the same root as noon—are prayers generally said at 3pm, but among Benedictine monks in Italy the service was held closer to midday.