# All Dialects: noon



## Rainbowlight

Hello everyone,

I would like to know which is the Arabic translation of the English word "noon". That is, the midday or 12 AM time.

I would also like to know if, as it happens in several European languages, this word is also used in Arabic to refer to the South of the country.

Thanks for your help.


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## djara

In Tunisian Arabic, two usages: 
(1) نص(ف) النهار, nos(f) ennhar, literally 'half the day'.
(2) لُوِّل, luwwil, literally 'the first'
Neither refers to the South


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## Rainbowlight

djara said:


> In Tunisian Arabic, two usages:
> (1) نص(ف) النهار, nos(f) ennhar, literally 'half the day'.
> (2) لُوِّل, luwwil, literally 'the first'
> Neither refers to the South


Thanks for your answer. Is there any reason why Google Translate seems to translate لُوِّل as "*howling*"?


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## djara

Rainbowlight said:


> Thanks for your answer. Is there any reason why Google Translate seems to translate لُوِّل as "*howling*"?


لُوِّل  is a phonetic transcription of how Tunisians say "the first" which in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is written الأوّل. 
Now, to answer your question, clearly Google doesn't (yet) translate dialects. It may have tried to make sense of لُوِّل and taken it for the MSA verb, ولول (walwala), to shriek, to howl.


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## Hemza

djara said:


> نص(ف) النهار, nos(f) ennhar, literally 'half the day'.


Same in Morocco


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## Mahaodeh

There is no actual name for 12:00 PM other than that, الساعة الثانية عشر ظهرا.

Noon as the time in which the sun is in the highest point in the sky is called قائم الظهيرة, commonly referred to as just ظهيرة although technically inaccurate. However, this does not necessarily have to be at 12 pm, it can be anytime between 11:45 am to 1:30 pm depending of geographic location and day of year. For example today, in London, it’s 1:04 pm.



Rainbowlight said:


> I would also like to know if, as it happens in several European languages, this word is also used in Arabic to refer to the South of the country.


No, it is not.


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## I.K.S.

Traditionally people used to call it قايلة "gueyla" my region.


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## Rainbowlight

I.K.S. said:


> Traditionally people used to call it قايلة "gueyla" my region.


Thank you so much for your answer.

Does قايلة have a known etymology?


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## I.K.S.

Rainbowlight said:


> Does قايلة have a known etymology?


It is from the classical الْقَائِلَةُ meaning: midday.


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## Sadda7

I.K.S. said:


> Traditionally people used to call it قايلة "gueyla" my region.





djara said:


> (1) نص(ف) النهار, nos(f) ennhar, literally 'half the day'.


The same in Algeria.


I.K.S. said:


> It is from the classical الْقَائِلَةُ meaning: midday.


That and the midday rest or nap "siesta".


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## Rainbowlight

djara said:


> لُوِّل  is a phonetic transcription of how Tunisians say "the first" which in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is written الأوّل.
> Now, to answer your question, clearly Google doesn't (yet) translate dialects. It may have tried to make sense of لُوِّل and taken it for the MSA verb, ولول (walwala), to shriek, to howl.


Thank you very much for your help.


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## Rainbowlight

Sadda7 said:


> The same in Algeria.
> 
> That and the midday rest or nap "siesta".


Does the word also have anything to do with the words "south" or "meridional"?


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## Sadda7

Rainbowlight said:


> Does the word also have anything to do with the words "south" or "meridional"?


I don't think so, but there is a word we use "الظَهْرَة" (dhahra) which is close to the word الظَّهيرة/الظُّهْر (noon/midday) that can refer to the direction opposite to Qiblah/what is facing you "القْبْلَة" (G/Quebla) or the north or south, it depends on where it is used.


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## Rainbowlight

Sadda7 said:


> I don't think so, but there is a word we use "الظَهْرَة" (dhahra) which is close to the word الظَّهيرة/الظُّهْر (noon/midday) that can refer to the direction opposite to Qiblah/what is facing you "القْبْلَة" (G/Quebla) or the north or south, it depends on where it is used.


This is a most interesting information. Thank you very much for your answer. Does الظَهْرَة have any known etymology? Is there, by any chance, a similar-sounding word in Arabic?

Thanks again for your help.


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## Sadda7

Rainbowlight said:


> Does الظَهْرَة have any known etymology?


I think it is from the word ظَهْر meaning "the back". See the words at the root *ظ ه ر*.


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## Rainbowlight

Sadda7 said:


> I think it is from the word ظَهْر meaning "the back". See the words at the root *ظ ه ر*.


Thanks again. : )


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## I.K.S.

In ancient Morocco الظَهْرَة used to mean: Northwest in contrast to القْبْلَة (SE) as Sadda7 said, but for a 19th century man these were fixed directions wherever he goes, cf.الريح القبلي (a hot wind blowing from south). 
But not to confuse it with ''duhr'' meaning: noon, they are not derived from each other IMHO.


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