German word

Mitternacht

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈmɪtɐˌnaxt/

Meaning

  • feminine nounmidnight

Example

In den letzten Mitternächten konnte ich nicht schlafen.

I couldn't sleep at midnight over the past few nights.

Illustration for Mitternacht (midnight)

More examples

Wir sind um Mitternacht nach Hause gekommen.

We came home at midnight.

Core concept

The still central point of the night, marked by the change from one date to the following date.

Common phrases

  • um Mitternacht

    at midnight

  • gegen Mitternacht

    around midnight

  • nach Mitternacht

    after midnight

Similar words

Nacht: The dark period from evening until the following morning.
Abend: The time from sunset until roughly bedtime.
Morgen: The time from dawn through the early part of the morning.

Definition in German

Mitternacht ist die Zeit genau um 0 Uhr, also die Mitte der Nacht.

Word origin

The compound Mitternacht is formed from the German words Mitte and Nacht, a transparent structure shared with the English compound midnight.

Usage tips

  • Um Mitternacht refers to an exact time, whereas gegen Mitternacht means around midnight.

Opposites

  • Morgendämmerungdawnnoun
  • Morgenmorningnoun

Related words

  • Mitternachtsstundemidnight hournoun
  • mitternächtlichmidnightadjective

Word lists with this word