MIDNIGHTとは 意味・読み方・使い方

語源

From 中期英語 midnight, from 古期英語 midniht, from Proto-Germanic *midjanahts (“midnight”), equivalent to mid- +‎ night. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Midnoacht (“midnight”), Old High German mittinaht (“midnight”), Danish midnat (“midnight”), Swedish midnatt (“midnight”), Icelandic miðnætti (“midnight”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Middernoacht (“midnight”), Dutch middernacht (“midnight”), German Mitternacht (“midnight”).

発音

• IPA: /ˈmɪd(ˌ)naɪt/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA: [ˈmɪd̚naɪt]
  • (Standard Southern British) IPA: [ˈmɪd̚(ˌ)nɑjt], [ˈmɪ̞d̚nʌjt]
  • (General American) IPA: [ˈmɪd̚ˌnɐɪt]
  • (Canada) IPA: [ˈmɪ̞d̚nəjt]
  • (General Australian) IPA: [ˈmɪ̝d̚(ˌ)nɑɪt]
• 韻: -ɪdnʌɪt, -ɪdnaɪt
• ハイフネーション: mid‧night

名詞

midnight (countable and uncountable, plural midnights)

1. The middle of the night: the sixth temporal hour, equidistant between sunset and sunrise.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:midnight

   Antonyms: noon, midday

   Thanks to its sonar, the narwhal can remain active even at midnight, unhindered by the darkness.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 20:7:

     And vpon the first day of the weeke, when the disciples came together to breake bread, Paul preached vnto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speach vntill midnight.

2. Twelve o'clock at night exactly.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:midnight

   • 1906 August, Alfred Noyes, “The Highwayman”, in Poems, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 2, stanza IV, pages 50–51:

     She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good! / She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood! / They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years, / Till, now, on the stroke of midnight, / Cold, on the stroke of midnight, / The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!

   • 2020 March 13, Oliver Darcy, “Andrew Gillum apologizes after being found ‘inebriated’ in hotel room where police say man was treated for ‘possible drug overdose’”, in CNN Business‎:

     The police report said that officers, who told CNN they are not currently pursuing criminal charges, arrived to the scene just after midnight and found Gillum and a second person, Aldo Mejias, in the hotel room.

3. (dice games) Synonym of boxcars (“a pair of sixes”).

使用する際の注意点

• (twelve o'clock): When attached to a specific date, such as "midnight on 12 July", it may be ambiguous as to whether the time refers to 00:00 (start of day) or 24:00 (end of day); this must be resolved with context.

派生語

形容詞

midnight (not comparable)

1. (poetic) Utterly dark or black.
   • 2013, Sharon Ricklin, Ravenswynd Legends, page 143:

     Free and falling, his midnight hair flowed out all around us like a silk canopy.

参考