Morn Survived by Retreating Into Poetry
Morn is a poetic word for morning. The longer form pushed it out of everyday speech.
Morn is a literary and poetic word for morning. It is the older form: Old English *morgen* gave *morn*, and *morning* was built later on the pattern of *evening*. The shorter word then narrowed into verse, where a single syllable is often worth more than two, while *morning* took over ordinary speech. The same pair exists in *even* and *evening*, and *morn* also survives in Scots and northern English, where *the morn* can mean tomorrow.
- Morning (poetic). *At morn.*
- Tomorrow (Scots). *The morn.*
- Morrow — the next day. *The morrow.*
- Even — the parallel word. *At even.*
- Old English — *morgen*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | morn | At morn. |
| Full form | morning | The morning. |
| Related | morrow | The morrow. |
| Related | tomorrow | Tomorrow. |
| Old English | morgen | Morning. |
- The lark sings at morn.Poetic.
- Morning was built later.History.
- See you the morn.Scots.
Short forms kept by poets
- Morn for morning
- Even for evening
- Oft for often
- Ere for before
- Each gained a syllable in prose and kept the short one in verse
Old English *morgen*, morning, shortened in Middle English; *morning* was formed later on the model of *evening*.
Is morn older than morning?
Yes. Morning was built later on the pattern of evening, and the shorter morn retreated into poetry.
Why does the morn mean tomorrow in Scots?
The word kept its older breadth there, covering both the coming morning and the next day.