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Subject:Re: am pm or AM PM From:Beverly Parks <bparks -at- HUACHUCA-EMH1 -dot- ARMY -dot- MIL> Date:Wed, 21 Dec 1994 07:26:18 MST
> Any suggestions on which way to write am/pm, small case or caps? Does it
> make a difference? I've always seen it in lower case.
> Call me old-fashioned, but I've always capitalized them. They're initialisms,
> after all (Ante Meridian, Post Meridian).
My references say lowercase, with periods, no spaces. Also, even
spelled out, ante meridiem and post meridiem are not
capitalized.
Note also the difference in "ante meridiem" and "antemeridian."
The abbreviation a.m. is derived from the Latin two-word version
ending in "diem," and means literally "before noon." The
one-word version, according to the American Heritage Dictionary,
means "Of, pertaining to, or taking place in the morning."
Similar explanations apply to post meridiem and postmeridian.
Happy Holidays to all!
Beverly Parks
bparks -at- huachuca-emh1 -dot- army -dot- mil
