Morning is the period from sunrise to noon. There are no exact times for when morning begins (also true of evening and night) because it can vary according to one's lifestyle and the hours of

daylight Daylight is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and (often) both of these reflected by Earth and terrestrial objects, like landforms and buildings. Sunligh ...

at each time of year. However, morning strictly ends at noon, which is when afternoon starts. Morning can also be defined as starting from

midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

to noon. Morning precedes afternoon, evening, and night in the sequence of a

day A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two so ...

. Originally, the term referred to sunrise.

Etymology

The Modern English words "morning" and "tomorrow" began in Middle English as , developing into , then , and eventually . English, unlike some other languages, has separate terms for "morning" and "tomorrow", despite their common root. Other languages, like Dutch, Scots and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, may use a single wordto signify both "morning" and "tomorrow".

Significance

Greeting

Some languages that use the time of day in greeting have a special greeting for morning, such as the English good morning. The appropriate time to use such greetings, such as whether it may be used between midnight and dawn, depends on the culture's or speaker's concept of morning. The use of '''good morning is ambiguous, usually depending on when the person woke up. As a general rule, the greeting is normally used from 3:00 a.m. to around noon. Many people greet someone with the shortened 'morning' rather than 'good morning'. It is used as a greeting, never a farewell, unlike 'good night' which is used as the latter. To show respect, one can add the addressee's last name after the salutation: ''Good morning, Mr. Smith.''

Religious observances

Morning prayer is a common practice in several religions. The morning period includes specific phases of the Liturgy of the Hours of Christianity.

Cultural use

For some, the word ''morning'' may refer to the period immediately following waking up, irrespective of the current time of day. This modern sense of ''morning'' is due largely to the worldwide spread of electricity, and the independence from natural light sources.

Genetics

The morning period may be a period of enhanced or reduced energy and productivity. The ability of a person to

wake up Wake Up or wake up is to awake. It may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Wake Up'' (Anthony Neely album) or the title song, 2012 * ''Wake Up!'' (The Boo Radleys album), 1995 * ''Wake Up'' (BTS album) or the title song, 2014 * ''Wake Up!'' (Ha ...

effectively in the morning may be influenced by a gene called " Period 3". This gene comes in two forms, a "long" and a "short" variant. It seems to affect the person's preference for mornings or evenings. People who carry the long variant were over-represented as morning people, while the ones carrying the short variant were evening preference people.Gene determines sleep patterns
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Gallery

File:The bay of Sorrento during the morning.jpg, The bay of Sorrento during the morning File:Misty morning02.jpg, Morning mist File:Yosemite Morning.jpg, Yosemite Valley in the morning File:Oxford Circus tube station - Rush hour.jpg, The first

rush hour A rush hour (American English, British English) or peak hour (Australian English) is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice every weekday: on ...

of the day is during the morning, London, April 2012 File:Udusse mattuv harilik vaher, punaste sügislehtedega. Läänemaa.jpg, Maple tree with red leaves in the morning mist. Western Estonia

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Time in astronomy Parts of a day