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Glite Dictionary
civil day

civil day

3.2
A day that runs from midnight to the next midnight
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪvəl deɪ/
  • Formal
translation icon : día civil
  • The contract specifies the deadline as the end of the civil day on June 30.

Examples

  • A civil day always begins at midnight and ends at the following midnight.

  • Astronomers distinguish between the civil day and the sidereal day for precise measurements.

  • A civil day begins at midnight.

  • The civil day lasts 24 hours.

  • A civil day begins at midnight and ends 24 hours later.

  • In law, a civil day is defined as each day that starts at 12:00 AM.

  • Most contracts stipulate deadlines based on a civil day, lasting from one midnight to the next.

Synonyms

day
vscivil day
∞ 1.0

A calendar day for a special event or public celebration

measures a midnight-to-midnight period that legal systems recognize rather than event scheduling
calendar day
vscivil day
  • Formal
1 1.0

A period of 24 hours starting at midnight

is the formal label legal systems use for the same midnight-to-midnight period

Surface Forms

civil day singular
civil days plural

Morphology

civil + day

The compound is compositionally transparent: 'civil' (= relating to public affairs or law) combined with 'day' (= a 24-hour period) yields an obvious meaning of an official or legal day. A B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily interpret this as the day used in civil/legal contexts (typically the midnight-to-midnight reckoning), so the phrase is transparently built from its parts.

Etymology

Civil day comes from counting days for ordinary life: civil means 'for people' and a day was counted from one 'midnight' to the next. So, 'civil day' means the 24 hours that run from 'midnight to midnight', the way rules and everyday plans measure a day.