Other forms: afternoons
The afternoon is the part of the day between lunch and evening. This afternoon, in the afternoon, a wet afternoon.
The prepositions follow morning and evening: in the afternoon generally, on Friday afternoon for a named day, and this afternoon with none. Good afternoon is the greeting from about midday until six. Note afternoon tea, which is a specific British meal at about four and not the same as tea meaning the evening meal; and that the boundary with evening is entirely regional and nobody agrees.
1nounafternoonThe part of the day between lunch and evening.
“It rained the whole afternoon and cleared at about six.”
afternoon is a part of the day.
The word is after plus noon, and noon comes from Latin nona hora, the ninth hour — which was originally about three in the afternoon. The meal moved earlier over centuries and dragged noon back to midday with it.
Middle English
afternone
English, today
afternoon
From Middle English afternone, after-non, equivalent to after- + noon.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA