The word morning referred originally to the sunrise, but has been extended to mean the whole early part of the day, from dawn to noon. Often the start of morning is extended before dawn, this time is considered the small hours (wee small hours) of the morning, so it can come to mean midnight to midday (in cultures using the 12-hour clock, these hours are ante meridiem, A.M., a.m., or am). Morning precedes midday, afternoon, and night in a day.