hour
hour Lexical Profile
hour Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A unit of time equal to 60 minutes, or one twenty-fourth of a standard day.
"The train ride from the suburbs into the city center takes roughly an hour."
A specific point in time of the day, especially the exact time when a clock strikes a whole number of hours.
"Shuttle buses depart from the main terminal every day on the hour."
A fixed period of time set aside for work, study, business operations, or a particular regular activity (usually used in the plural).
"The university library extends its opening hours during final examination week."
A crucial, decisive, or notable juncture or occasion.
"The rescue team's coordinated response during the flood was their finest hour."
Word Nuance & Usage
Because 'hour' begins with a silent 'h' and a vowel sound, it takes the indefinite article 'an' rather than 'a' (e.g., 'an hour'). It is a homophone of the possessive determiner 'our'.
• Rhymes for hour
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Anglo-Norman and Old French 'hore' or 'ure', from Latin 'hōra' ('hour, time, season'), which came from Ancient Greek 'ὥρα' (hṓra, 'any period of time, season, or time of day').