חצות הלילה

Hebrew

Pronunciation

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /χaˌt͡sot-haˈlajla/

Noun

חֲצוֹת־הַלַּיְלָה • (khatsót-haláyla) m (no plural forms)

1. midnight, 12:00 a.m.
2. (chiefly Jewish religious law) the exact time between sunset and sunrise, the time in which the sun is in its lowest point below the horizon

Usage notes

• Hebrew speakers sometimes treat this term as if were grammatically female, because it refers to שעה (“an hour”), which is grammatically feminine.
• In most contexts today, this term refers to 12:00 a.m. on a 12-hour clock or 00:00 on a 24-hour clock. In some contexts, especially when referring to Jewish religious rituals, this term means literally the middle of the night, i.e. exactly 12 hours after the astronomical midday.

Synonyms

• חֲצוֹת הַלַּיִל (khatsót-haláyil)