What does time mean

What Is Time? A Simple Explanation

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Time is familiar to everyone, yet it’s hard to define and understand. Science, philosophy, religion, and the arts have different definitions of time, but the system of measuring it is relatively consistent.

Clocks are based on seconds, minutes, and hours. While the basis for these units has changed throughout history, they trace their roots back to ancient Sumeria. The modern international unit of time, the second, is defined by the electronic transition of the cesium atom. But what, exactly, is time?

Scientific Definition

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Physicists define time as the progression of events from the past to the present into the future. Basically, if a system is unchanging, it is timeless. Time can be considered to be the fourth dimension of reality, used to describe events in three-dimensional space. It is not something we can see, touch, or taste, but we can measure its passage.

The Arrow of Time

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Physics equations work equally well whether time is moving forward into the future (positive time) or backward into the past (negative time.) However, time in the natural world has one direction, called the arrow of time. The question of why time is irreversible is one of the biggest unresolved questions in science.

One explanation is that the natural world follows the laws of thermodynamics. The second law of thermodynamics states that within an isolated system, the entropy of the system remains constant or increases. If the universe is considered to be an isolated system, its entropy (degree of disorder) can never decrease. In other words, the universe cannot return to exactly the same state in which it was at an earlier point. Time cannot move backward.

Time Dilation

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In classical mechanics, time is the same everywhere. Synchronized clocks remain in agreement. Yet we know from Einstein’s special and general relativity that time is relative. It depends on the frame of reference of an observer. This can result in time dilation, where the time between events becomes longer (dilated) the closer one travels to the speed of light. Moving clocks run more slowly than stationary clocks, with the effect becoming more pronounced as the moving clock approaches light speed. Clocks in jets or in orbit record time more slowly than those on Earth, muon particles decay more slowly when falling, and the Michelson-Morley experiment confirmed length contraction and time dilation.

Time Travel

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Time travel means moving forward or backward to different points in time, much like you might move between different points in space. Jumping forward in time occurs in nature. Astronauts on the International Space Station jump forward in time when they return to Earth because of its slower movement relative to the station.

The idea of traveling back in time, however, poses problems. One issue is causality or cause and effect. Moving back in time could cause a temporal paradox. The «grandfather paradox» is a classic example. According to the paradox, if you travel back in time and kill your grandfather before your mother or father was born, you could prevent your own birth. Many physicists believe time travel to the past is impossible, but there are solutions to a temporal paradox, such as traveling between parallel universes or branch points.

Time Perception

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The human brain is equipped to track time. The suprachiasmatic nuclei of the brain is the region responsible for daily or circadian rhythms. But neurotransmitters and drugs affect time perceptions. Chemicals that excite neurons so they fire more quickly than normal speed up time, while decreased neuron firing slows down time perception. Basically, when time seems to speed up, the brain distinguishes more events within an interval. In this respect, time truly does seem to fly when one is having fun.

Time seems to slow down during emergencies or danger. Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston say the brain doesn’t actually speed up, but the amygdala becomes more active. The amygdala is the region of the brain that makes memories. As more memories form, time seems drawn out.

The same phenomenon explains why older people seem to perceive time as moving faster than when they were younger. Psychologists believe the brain forms more memories of new experiences than that of familiar ones. Since fewer new memories are built later in life, time seems to pass more quickly.

The Beginning and End of Time

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As far as the universe is concerned, time had a beginning. The starting point was 13.799 billion years ago when the Big Bang occurred. We can measure cosmic background radiation as microwaves from the Big Bang, but there isn’t any radiation with earlier origins. One argument for the origin of time is that if it extended backward infinitely, the night sky would be filled with light from older stars.

Will time end? The answer to this question is unknown. If the universe expands forever, time would continue. If a new Big Bang occurs, our time line would end and a new one would begin. In particle physics experiments, random particles arise from a vacuum, so it doesn’t seem likely the universe would become static or timeless. Only time will tell.

Definitions for time
taɪm time

Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word time.

Princeton’s WordNet (3.61 / 25 votes) Rate this definition:

an instance or single occasion for some event

«this time he succeeded»; «he called four times»; «he could do ten at a clip»

a period of time considered as a resource under your control and sufficient to accomplish something

«take time to smell the roses»; «I didn’t have time to finish»; «it took more than half my time»

an indefinite period (usually marked by specific attributes or activities)

«he waited a long time»; «the time of year for planting»; «he was a great actor in his time»

a suitable moment

«it is time to go»

the continuum of experience in which events pass from the future through the present to the past

a person’s experience on a particular occasion

«he had a time holding back the tears»; «they had a good time together»

clock time, time noun

a reading of a point in time as given by a clock

«do you know what time it is?»; «the time is 10 o’clock»

fourth dimension, time noun

the fourth coordinate that is required (along with three spatial dimensions) to specify a physical event

meter, metre, time noun

rhythm as given by division into parts of equal duration

prison term, sentence, time verb

the period of time a prisoner is imprisoned

«he served a prison term of 15 months»; «his sentence was 5 to 10 years»; «he is doing time in the county jail»

clock, time verb

measure the time or duration of an event or action or the person who performs an action in a certain period of time

«he clocked the runners»

assign a time for an activity or event

«The candidate carefully timed his appearance at the disaster scene»

set the speed, duration, or execution of

«we time the process to manufacture our cars very precisely»

regulate or set the time of

adjust so that a force is applied and an action occurs at the desired time

«The good player times his swing so as to hit the ball squarely»

Wiktionary (3.67 / 3 votes) Rate this definition:

The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present events into the past.

A quantity of availability of duration.

A measurement of a quantity of time; a numerical or general indication of a length of progression.

The serving of a prison sentence.

How much of a day has passed; the moment, as indicated by a clock or similar device.

A particular moment or hour; the appropriate moment or hour for something (especially with prepositional phrase or imperfect subjunctive).

The measurement under some system of region of day or moment.

Let’s synchronize our watches so we’re not on different time.

A numerical indication of a particular moment.

An instance or occurrence.

To measure seconds, hours etc passed, especially using a clock of some kind.

To choose how long something lasts.

Ratio of comparison.

We had a wonderful time at the party.

An era; (with the, sometimes in plural) the current era, the current state of affairs.

A person’s youth or young adulthood, as opposed to the present day.

In my time, we respected our elders.

reminder by the umpire for the players to continue playing after their pause

Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:

1. The measure of duration.

This consideration of duration, as set out by certain periods, and marked by certain measures or epochas, is that which most properly we call time. John Locke.

Come what come may,
Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. William Shakespeare.

2. Space of time.

Daniel desired that he would give him time, and that he would shew him the interpretation. Dan. ii. 16.

He for the time remain’d stupidly good. John Milton.

No time is allowed for digressions. Jonathan Swift.

4. Season; proper time.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose. Ecclus. iii. 1.

They were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood. Job xxii. 16.

He found nothing but leaves on it; for the time of figs was not yet. Mar. xi. 13.

Knowing the time, that it is high time to awake out of sleep. Rom. xiii. 11.

Short were her marriage joys; for in the prime
Of youth her lord expir’d before his time. Dryden.

I hope I come in time, if not to make,
At least, to save your fortune and your honour:
Take heed you steer your vessel right. Dryden.

5. A considerable space of duration; continuance; process of time.

In time the mind reflects on its own operations about the ideas got by sensation, and thereby stores itself with a new set of ideas, ideas of reflection. John Locke.

One imagines, that the terrestrial matter which is showered down along with rain enlarges the bulk of the earth, and that it will in time bury all things under-ground. John Woodward.

I have resolved to take time, and, in spite of all misfortunes, to write you, at intervals, a long letter. Jonathan Swift.

6. Age; particular part of time.

When that company died, what time the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men. Num. xxvi. 10.

They shall be given into his hand until a time and times. Dan. vii. 25.

I was the man in th’ moon when time was. William Shakespeare.

Stanley at Bosworth field, though he came time enough to save his life, yet he staid long enough to endanger it. Francis Bacon.

If they acknowledge repentance and a more strict obedience to be one time or other necessary, they imagine it is time enough yet to set about these duties. John Rogers.

9. Time considered as affording opportunity.

The earl lost no time, but marched day and night. Edward Hyde.

10. Particular quality of the present.

Comets, importing change of times and states,
Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky. William Shakespeare.

11. Particular time.

Give order, that no sort of person
Have, any time, recourse unto the princes. William Shakespeare.

The worst on me must light, when time shall be. John Milton.

A time will come when my maturer muse,
In Cæsar’s wars a nobler theme shall chuse. Dryden.

These reservoirs of snow they cut, distributing them to several shops, that from time to time supply Naples. Addison.

12. Hour of childbirth.

She intended to stay till delivered; for she was within one month of her time. Edward Hyde.

13. Repetition of any thing, or mention with reference to repetition.

Four times he cross’d the car of night. John Milton.

Every single particle would have a sphere of void space around it many hundred thousand million million times bigger than the dimensions of that particle. Richard Bentley.

Lord Oxford I have now the third time mentioned in this letter expects you. Jonathan Swift.

14. Musical measure.

Musick do I hear!
Ha, ha! keep time. How sour sweet musick is
When time is broke and no proportion kept. William Shakespeare.

You by the help of tune and time
Can make that song which was but rime. Edmund Waller.

On their exalted wings
To the cœlestial orbs they climb,
And with th’ harmonious spheres keep time. John Denham.

Heroes who o’ercome, or die,
Have their hearts hung extremely high;
The strings of which in battle’s heat
Against their very corslets beat;
Keep time with their own trumpet’s measure,
And yield them most excessive pleasure. Matthew Prior.

Etymology: from the noun.

1. To adapt to the time; to bring or do at a proper time.

The timing of things is a main point in the dispatch of all affairs. Roger L’Estrange.

This ’tis to have a virtue out of season.
Mercy is good, but kings mistake its timing. Dryden.

A man’s conviction should be strong, and so well timed, that worldly advantages may seem to have no share in it. Add.

2. To regulate as to time.

To the same purpose old Epopeus spoke,
Who overlook’d the oars, and tim’d the stroke. Addison.

3. To measure harmonically.

Webster Dictionary (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:

duration, considered independently of any system of measurement or any employment of terms which designate limited portions thereof

a particular period or part of duration, whether past, present, or future; a point or portion of duration; as, the time was, or has been; the time is, or will be

the duration of one’s life; the hours and days which a person has at his disposal

a proper time; a season; an opportunity

hour of travail, delivery, or parturition

performance or occurrence of an action or event, considered with reference to repetition; addition of a number to itself; repetition; as, to double cloth four times; four times four, or sixteen

the present life; existence in this world as contrasted with immortal life; definite, as contrasted with infinite, duration

the measured duration of sounds; measure; tempo; rate of movement; rhythmical division; as, common or triple time; the musician keeps good time

to appoint the time for; to bring, begin, or perform at the proper season or time; as, he timed his appearance rightly

to regulate as to time; to accompany, or agree with, in time of movement

to ascertain or record the time, duration, or rate of; as, to time the speed of horses, or hours for workmen

to measure, as in music or harmony

to keep or beat time; to proceed or move in time

to pass time; to delay

Freebase (3.50 / 2 votes) Rate this definition:

Time is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It was founded in 1923 and for decades dominated by Henry Luce, who built a highly profitable stable of magazines. A European edition is published in London and also covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong. The South Pacific edition, covering Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, is based in Sydney. In December 2008, Time discontinued publishing a Canadian advertiser edition. Time has the world’s largest circulation for a weekly news magazine, and has a readership of 25 million, 20 million of which are in the US. Richard Stengel has been the managing editor since May 2006.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:

The Roycroft Dictionary (4.00 / 2 votes) Rate this definition:

1. The press-agent of genius. 2. An eternal guest that banquets on our ideals and bodies. 3. In the theater of the gods a moving-picture film that reproduces the cosmic comedy. 4. A metaphysical entity that made the Ingersoll watch a physical possibility. 5. A loafer playing at tenpins. 6. An illusion—to orators. 7. The solvent and the dissolver of all. (Time was anciently symbolized by Kronos; today it is symbolized by the mystical syllables, So-Much-Per. The word has also undergone strange etymological changes. Anciently, time was singular, but since the advent of the Unions, we have «time and a third,» «double time,» etc.)

U.S. National Library of Medicine (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:

The dimension of the physical universe which, at a given place, orders the sequence of events. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:

The measure of duration by which soldiers regulate the cadence of the march. Common time, the ordinary time of marching, in which 90 steps, each 28 inches in length, are taken in one minute. See Double-quick, and Quick Time.

That necessary interval between each motion in the manual exercise, as well as in every movement the army or any body of men may make. In fencing there are three kinds of time: that of the sword, that of the foot, and that of the whole body.

A particular period or part of duration, whether past, present, or future.

Editors Contribution (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:

A known unit or quantity of existence.

Time is a structure to give us routine and goals.

Learn from yesterday Live for today Hope for tomorrow.

Time is the inevitable continuity of every single thing surrounding every event, place past, present and future.

Yesterday is history Tomorrow is a mystery Today is the present.

Suggested Resources (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:

Mythology (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:

(or Saturn). The husband of Virtue and father of Truth.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

Spoken Corpus Frequency

Rank popularity for the word ‘time’ in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #66

Written Corpus Frequency

Rank popularity for the word ‘time’ in Written Corpus Frequency: #93

Rank popularity for the word ‘time’ in Nouns Frequency: #1

Rank popularity for the word ‘time’ in Verbs Frequency: #938

What does TIME stand for?

What does TIME mean? This page is about the various possible meanings of the acronym, abbreviation, shorthand or slang term: TIME.

Time Financial Services

Timed Interactive Multimedia Extensions

Tsunami Inundation Mapping Efforts

Things I Must Earn

Torah Infertility Medium of Exchange

Trends In Mechanical Engineering

Telecom It Media Entertainment

Tsunami Inundation Modeling Exchange Project

The Inventory Management Experts

Tourism In My Europe

Teens In Mission Evangelism

Teens In Mission Experiences

Timing Installation Made Easy

Total Information Management Electronically

Training, Information, Mentoring, and Education

Technology, Information, Multimedia, and Entertainment

Tell Involve Mature And Encourage

Technology, Infrastructure, Measurements, and Environment

Teaching Innovation, Motivation, and Excellence

Theocentric Interactive Magnetic Energy

Triumphant Institute of Management Education

The International Magazine of Events

Top Industrial Managers for Europe

Time, Infrastructure, Money, Energy

Display or Set computer time

What does TIME mean?

Popularity rank for the TIME initials by frequency of use:

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What does time and attention mean?

What does time and attention mean?

I heard time and attention from a fitness class, the instructor often used time and attention while he was explaining how to barbell row, such as:

“If you guys want to increase your time and attention. ”

Does it mean if I want to increase my endurance and concentration?

A minute ago, I’ve just played back the record file that I recorded during the fitness class in order to recall what exactly he was saying in the class, and here is what he actually said:

If you choose to incorporate more of the Eccentric movement in barbell row, you are increasing time and attention which will reap larger muscle gains. So, rather than just dropping the weights back down on the floor I would suggest slowly lowering the barbell and letting the weights gently touch the ground. If you want even more time and attention, picked up about an inch off the floor and never let it touch the ground.

1 Answer 1

English has a lot of paired words (often alliterative) that get used in a variety of contexts. For example, something that is neat and tidy might be spick and span, and if we’re talking about how someone invested everything they had, we might say he invested the whole kit and caboodle.

The words time and attention are often paired together, and talk about how we should not neglect something. My boss might tell me, «This new project needs your time and attention,» meaning that it should be a top priority for me.

In the context of fitness, time and attention could refer to how I concentrate on a specific muscle group during a workout. If I want «six pack abs,» then I will have to give my abs a lot of time and attention.

So, your instructor said:

If you choose to incorporate more of the eccentric movement in barbell row, you are increasing time and attention which will reap larger muscle gains.

Near as I can tell (disclaimer: I am not a body builder), the instructor is saying that the «eccentric movement» will increase the amount of work that the arm muscles are performing, which will make them more muscular.

As for the other sentence:

If you want even more time and attention, picked up pick it up about an inch off the floor and never let it touch the ground.

I’m guessing that he said «pick it up,» not «picked up» (those two sound very similar), and I believe he is explaining how this particular exercise will give even more time and attention to this muscle group.

I did some Google searches to see if I’m at least on the right track, and I found some reassuring sentences from fitness instructors and bloggers. For example, fitness writer Jamie Easton wrote:

I’ve decided to build through the total 12 weeks because legs and glutes really need a lot of time and attention.

Another blogger from Nebraska wrote:

The more time and attention you give to your flexibility training, the more benefits you’ll experience.

Another workout site was explaining the benefits of split (as opposed to full-body) workouts:

Split workouts are great for correcting muscle imbalance: Lagging body parts need time and attention to be brought up to par. With a single muscle group split you can pour your focus and energy into developing that muscle.

Another website explained:

Pressing movements, in particular those involving the chest, are notorious for receiving too much time and attention, whereas back exercises are often neglected.

So, in the context of gym workouts, it looks like we can devote time and attention to a particular muscle group if we would like to build up those muscles – I think that’s what your instructor was trying to say:

. you are increasing time and attention [to the muscles being exercised] which will reap larger muscle gains.

What Do AM and PM Stand For?

Some countries, including the US, Canada, and Australia, use the 12-hour clock format including am and pm. What do these abbreviations mean? Is midnight am or pm?

12-hour clock at noon: 12 am or 12 pm?

Two 12-Hour Periods

The 12-hour system divides the 24 hours of a day into two periods lasting 12 hours each. The first 12-hour period is designated as am. It runs from midnight to noon. The second period, marked pm, covers the 12 hours from noon to midnight.

The abbreviations am and pm derive from Latin:

Using numbers from 1 to 12, followed by am or pm, the 12-hour clock system identifies all 24 hours of the day. For example, 5 am is early in the morning, and 5 pm is late in the afternoon; 1 am is one hour after midnight, while 11 pm is one hour before midnight.

Ante meridiem is commonly denoted as AM, am, a.m., or A.M.; post meridiem is usually abbreviated PM, pm, p.m., or P.M. Like many other sources, timeanddate.com uses am and pm, but the other variants are equally correct and widely used.

Midnight and Noon: AM or PM?

The main weakness of the 12-hour system is a widespread confusion about which abbreviation should be used for noon and midnight: neither moment can logically be identified as before noon (am) or after noon (pm). For example, the moment of midnight occurs precisely 12 hours after noon on the previous day and 12 hours before noon on the following day.

However, most digital clocks and most sources, including timeanddate.com, designate midnight as 12 am and noon as 12 pm. Although the precise moment of noon falls in neither category, the hour succeeding it, from 12:00:01 to 12:59:59, is clearly after noon.

To avoid any confusion when referring to the precise moment of noon or midnight, we recommend using the designations 12 noon and 12 midnight instead.

Midnight Confusion

Another source of confusion is the lack of a date designator in the 12-hour system, making it impossible to logically identify a correct moment in time when only a date and 12:00 am (midnight) is provided.

Imagine being asked to pick up a friend at the airport at 12:00 am on April 13. Would you go there at midnight between April 12 and April 13? Or 24 hours later?

One way to overcome this problem is to sacrifice accuracy for clarity. Your friend could ask you to be at the airport at 12:01 am on April 13 or, if the following midnight is meant, at 11:59 pm on April 13. Alternatively, the 24-hour format could be used. Here, 0:00 refers to midnight at the beginning of the day while 24:00 is midnight at the end of the day.

Time Formats

Converting 12-Hour to 24-Hour Format

A 24-hour clock, sometimes referred to as military time, states the time according to the number of hours that have passed since midnight. Starting at midnight, hours are numbered from 0 to 24, removing the need for designations like am and pm. For example, at 23:00, 23 hours have passed since the beginning of the current day.

To convert am or pm time to the 24-hour format, use these rules:

From midnight to 12:59 am, subtract 12 hours.
12:49 am = 0:49 (12:49 – 12)

From 1 am to noon, do nothing.
11:49 am = 11:49

From 12:01 pm to 12:59 pm, do nothing.
12:49 pm = 12:49

From 1:00 pm to midnight, add 12 hours.
1:49 pm = 13:49 (1:49 + 12)

Here’s how to convert time on a 24-hour clock to the 12-hour system:

From 0:00 (midnight) to 0:59, add 12 hours and use am.
0:49 = 12:49 am (0:49 + 12)

From 1:00 to 11:59, just add am after the time.
11:49 = 11:49 am

From 12:00 to 12:59, just add pm after the time.
12:49 = 12:49 pm

Where Is the 12-Hour Format Used?

Most countries around the world today use the 24-hour system. However, the 12-hour format, including am and pm, is officially used in a number of countries, including the United States, Canada (except Québec), Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

Why Does the Day Have 24 Hours?

The Egyptians are thought to be responsible for dividing the day into 24 equal parts. One account suggests that this custom evolved because the Egyptians commonly used the base 12, counting the 3 joints in their fingers, not including the thumb.