Recently, the term “moment” has been widely read and frequently used. Many people think that a “moment” is extremely short, like the blink of an eye or “in the blink of an eye.”
Interestingly, even those who often use the term “moment” may not know exactly how long a “moment” truly lasts.
But here’s the surprising part: A “moment” is actually a specific length of time, and it might not be as short as you think.
How long is a moment? (Illustration: iStock).
According to historians, the unit “moment” dates back to the Middle Ages, when one hour on a sundial was considered to consist of 40 “moments.” Back then, the length of a sundial hour varied depending on the day, with the length of each day differing across seasons. Essentially, a sundial hour was divided into 4 quarters, each quarter further divided into 10 smaller parts, totaling 40 smaller parts known as 40 “moments.”
So if one sundial hour consists of 40 moments, then specifically, a “moment” is 90 seconds.
It is also believed that the term “moment” was used for calculations even before the Middle Ages.
Sundial at Cranmer Park (Denver, USA). (Photo: Earth Sky).
However, nowadays, people pay little attention to the specific duration of a “moment,” even though they frequently mention the term “moment.” In the Oxford dictionary, the definition of moment is simply “a very short period of time.”
Since everything is relative, it’s up to anyone to interpret how short a “moment” is.
In any case, we might still find that saying “Cherish every moment” sounds quicker and nicer than saying “Cherish every 90 seconds.” Ultimately, how long a “moment” lasts may not be as important as how well we live our lives day by day!
