Hour

• POS: Noun

CIDE DICTIONARY

Hour, n. [OE. hour, our, hore, ure, OF. hore, ore, ure, F. heure, L. hora, fr. Gr. , orig., a definite space of time, fixed by natural laws; hence, a season, the time of the day, an hour. See Year, and cf. Horologe, Horoscope.].

•  The twenty-fourth part of a day; sixty minutes.  [1913 Webster]
•  The time of the day, as expressed in hours and minutes, and indicated by a timepiece; as, what is the hour? At what hour shall we meet?  [1913 Webster]
•  Fixed or appointed time; conjuncture; a particular time or occasion; as, the hour of greatest peril; the man for the hour.  [1913 Webster]

  "Woman, . . . mine hour is not yet come."  [1913 Webster]

  "This is your hour, and the power of darkness."  [1913 Webster]
•  Certain prayers to be repeated at stated times of the day, as matins and vespers.  [1913 Webster]
•  A measure of distance traveled.  [1913 Webster]

  "Vilvoorden, three hours from Brussels."  [1913 Webster]

After hours, after the time appointed for one's regular labor. -- Canonical hours. See under Canonical. -- Hour angle (Astron.), the angle between the hour circle passing through a given body, and the meridian of a place. -- Hour circle. (Astron.) (a) Any circle of the sphere passing through the two poles of the equator; esp., one of the circles drawn on an artificial globe through the poles, and dividing the equator into spaces of 15 (b) A circle upon an equatorial telescope lying parallel to the plane of the earth's equator, and graduated in hours and subdivisions of hours of right ascension. (c) A small brass circle attached to the north pole of an artificial globe, and divided into twenty-four parts or hours. It is used to mark differences of time in working problems on the globe. -- Hour hand, the hand or index which shows the hour on a timepiece. -- Hour line. (a) (Astron.) A line indicating the hour. (b) (Dialing) A line on which the shadow falls at a given hour; the intersection of an hour circle which the face of the dial. -- Hour plate, the plate of a timepiece on which the hours are marked; the dial. Locke. -- Sidereal hour, the twenty-fourth part of a sidereal day. -- Solar hour, the twenty-fourth part of a solar day. -- The small hours, the early hours of the morning, as one o'clock, two o'clock, etc.<-- also "wee hours" --> -- To keep good hours, to be regular in going to bed early.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Hour, n.
1 a twenty-fourth part of a day and night, 60 minutes.
2 a time of day, a point in time (a late hour; what is the hour?).
3 (in pl. with preceding numerals in form 18.00, 20.30, etc.) this number of hours and minutes past midnight on the 24-hour clock (will assemble at 20.00 hours).
4 a a period set aside for some purpose (lunch hour; keep regular hours). b (in pl.) a fixed period of time for work, use of a building, etc. (office hours; opening hours).
5 a short indefinite period of time (an idle hour).
6 the present time (question of the hour).
7 a time for action etc. (the hour has come).
8 the distance traversed in one hour by a means of transport stated or implied (we are an hour from London).
9 RC Ch. a prayers to be said at one of seven fixed times of day (book of hours). b any of these times.
10 (prec. by the) each time o'clock of a whole number of hours (buses leave on the hour; on the half hour; at quarter past the hour).
11 Astron. 15° of longitude or right ascension.

Idiom

after hours after closing-time. hour-hand the hand on a clock or watch which shows the hour. hour-long adj. lasting for one hour.
--adv. for one hour. till all hours till very late.

Etymology

ME ure etc. f. AF ure, OF ore, eure f. L hora f. Gk hora season, hour

THESAURUS

Hour

abundant year, academic year, annum, bell, bissextile year, calendar month, calendar year, century, common year, day, decade, decennary, decennium, defective year, fateful moment, fiscal year, fortnight, instant, interval, juncture, kairos, leap year, lunar month, lunar year, lunation, luster, lustrum, man-hour, microsecond, millennium, millisecond, minute, moment, moment of truth, month, moon, period, point, pregnant moment, psychological moment, quarter, quinquennium, regular year, season, second, semester, session, sidereal year, solar year, space, span, spell, stage, stretch, sun, term, the time, time, time lag, time of day, time signal, trimester, twelvemonth, week, weekday, while, year

ROGET THESAURUS

Hour

Period

N period, age, era, second, minute, hour, day, week, month, quarter, year, decade, decenniumm lustrum, quinquennium, lifetime, generation, epoch, ghurry, lunation, moon, century, millennium, annus magnus, horary, hourly, annual.

Instantaneity

N instantaneity, instantaneousness, immediacy, suddenness, abruptness, moment, instant, second, minute, twinkling, trice, flash, breath, crack, jiffy, coup, burst, flash of lightning, stroke of time, epoch, time, time of day, time of night, hour, minute, very minute, very time, very hour, present time, right time, true time, exact correct time, instantaneous, momentary, sudden, immediate, instant, abrupt, discontinuous, precipitous, precipitant, precipitate, subitaneous, hasty, quick as thought, quick as lightning, quick as a flash, rapid as electricity, speedy, quick, fast, fleet, swift, lively, blitz, rapid (velocity), instantaneously, in no time, in less than no time, presto, subito, instanter, suddenly, at a stroke, like a shot, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, in the twinkling of an eye, in a trice, in one's tracks, right away, toute a l'heure, at one jump, in the same breath, per saltum, uno saltu, at once, all at once, plump, slap, at one fell swoop, at the same instant, immediately, extempore, on the moment, on the spot, on the spur of the moment, no sooner said than done, just then, slap-dash, touch and go, no sooner said than done.

The Present Time

N the present, the present time, the present day, the present moment, the present juncture, the present occasion, the times, the existing time, the time being, today, these days, nowadays, our times, modern times, the twentieth century, nonce, crisis, epoch, day, hour, age, time of life, present, actual, instant, current, existing, extant, that is, present-day, up-to-date, up-to-the-moment, at this time, at this moment, at the present time, now, at present, at hand, at this time of day, today, nowadays, already, even now, but now, just now, on the present occasion, for the time being, for the nonce, pro hac vice, on the nail, on the spot, on the spur of the moment, until now, to this day, to the present day, the present hour alone is man's.