Collective noun for parts of the day?
November 1, 2016 6:50 AM Subscribe
So from what I gather, one 24 hour period can be broken in to bits. 'Daytime' and 'Nighttime' are popular. These can even have subdivisions such as 'Morning', and 'Evening'. Is there a collective word for these divisions?
I know common conversation would phrase it as something like '...different time of day/different part of the day', possibly 'phase' or 'period'. I guess I'm looking for some obscure or term-of-art word that might fill the gap in "'Morning and 'Evening' are examples of different ______'s of the day.
I know common conversation would phrase it as something like '...different time of day/different part of the day', possibly 'phase' or 'period'. I guess I'm looking for some obscure or term-of-art word that might fill the gap in "'Morning and 'Evening' are examples of different ______'s of the day.
Response by poster: Awesome. I was just adding this when your answer popped up:
(Or to give it a bit more context, imagine you're making a game with a morning/afternoon/evening/night cycle. A relevant variable name might be $CURRENT_________ .)
'Dayparting' (well, 'daypart' for me I think.) is great, thankyou!
posted by quinndexter at 7:01 AM on November 1, 2016
(Or to give it a bit more context, imagine you're making a game with a morning/afternoon/evening/night cycle. A relevant variable name might be $CURRENT_________ .)
'Dayparting' (well, 'daypart' for me I think.) is great, thankyou!
posted by quinndexter at 7:01 AM on November 1, 2016
I would just finish your example phrase as "'Morning and 'Evening' are examples of different times of the day." Times in this context isn’t just what one might say in common conversation, but is also an established technical term of sorts, at least in connection with ‘the four times of [the] day’ which was once a popular trope for artists, poets, etc.
posted by misteraitch at 7:09 AM on November 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by misteraitch at 7:09 AM on November 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
Hours might also work, in a somewhat poetic and religious sense (see Liturgy of the Hours, the daily cycle of Christian prayer).
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:12 AM on November 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:12 AM on November 1, 2016 [1 favorite]
'Time segment' is a term used in a number of different areas. I like the term because it also reflects how the hands of a clock move through segments of a circle.
posted by pipeski at 9:00 AM on November 1, 2016
posted by pipeski at 9:00 AM on November 1, 2016
"Day part" (or "daypart") comes from broadcasting BTW. Chip Davis of Mannheim Steamroller has released a series of albums titled "Day Parts" containing music intended for the various parts of the day.
posted by kindall at 9:50 AM on November 1, 2016
posted by kindall at 9:50 AM on November 1, 2016
The canonical day parts used by (for example) monks, uses the collective term "the hours" for its daily cycle of prayers. These don't have a direct tally to a particular time on the clock - "compline" is bed time and "vespers" is sunset, for example.
Sailors, meanwhile talk about day parts as being "watches". These are tied to the hour of the day but these hours also have a correlation with day parts - early evening (16:00 to 18:00) is the "first dog watch" for example.
posted by rongorongo at 2:55 PM on November 1, 2016
Sailors, meanwhile talk about day parts as being "watches". These are tied to the hour of the day but these hours also have a correlation with day parts - early evening (16:00 to 18:00) is the "first dog watch" for example.
posted by rongorongo at 2:55 PM on November 1, 2016
Response by poster: Thanks all. I didn't specifically mention, but wanted to avoid generics like 'time' (to vague when many 'times' may be measured), 'time-of-day' (too unwieldy), 'time-segment' (close yet both). 'Watch' is also good. But 'daypart' it is.
Cheers, and Good Daypart to all whenever you may be.
posted by quinndexter at 8:12 PM on November 1, 2016
Cheers, and Good Daypart to all whenever you may be.
posted by quinndexter at 8:12 PM on November 1, 2016
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posted by St. Peepsburg at 6:58 AM on November 1, 2016 [4 favorites]