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New Delhi: When you tell the time in English, you use O'clock after one to 12. Have you ever wondered what is the real meaning of O'clock? What does 'O' mean in O'clock? Let us tell you the answers to these two questions and the interesting story behind it...
'O'clock' is used to tell time in the English language. The term 'of the clock' was first used in the 14th century.
After this, 'of the clock' started being used to tell the time after one to twelve. For example, to tell in English that it is three o'clock in Hindi, it was said - three of the clock. Let us tell you that in the medieval period, time was measured by church bells and clock towers.
The real story of this o clock
As the language evolved, the 'of the' in 'of the clock' was reduced to just 'O'. After this, 'of the clock' started being abbreviated and written as O'clock.
By the 16th century, o'clock became part of common parlance. That is, the word o'clock originated from the process of shortening and simplifying words in the English language. Its original meaning was of the clock (three of the clock).
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