Tide Once Meant Time, as Christmastide Still Shows
The tide is the rise and fall of the sea. The word originally meant a period of time.
The tide is the periodic rise and fall of the sea caused by the moon's gravity. Old English *tid* meant a time or season, and that older sense survives everywhere once you look: *Christmastide*, *Yuletide*, *eventide*, *noontide*, and the proverb *time and tide wait for no man*, which is a doubling of one idea rather than two. The sea sense grew from the regular timing of the water's movement. German *Zeit* still means time.
- Sea movement. *High tide.*
- A season (archaic). *Christmastide.*
- A trend. *The tide of opinion.*
- Tidal. *A tidal river.*
- Old English — *tid*, time. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tide | The tide. |
| Plural | tides | Tides. |
| Adjective | tidal | Tidal. |
| Compound | Yuletide | Yuletide. |
| German | Zeit | Time. |
- The tide came in.Sea.
- Christmastide keeps the old sense.Survival.
- Time and tide wait for no man.Proverb.
Why there are two high tides a day
- The moon's gravity pulls water toward it on the near side
- On the far side, the earth is pulled away from the water
- Both effects produce a bulge, one on each side
- The earth rotates through both in roughly a day
- Spring tides occur when sun and moon align
Old English *tid*, a time or season, of Germanic origin, related to German *Zeit*.
What does tide mean in Christmastide?
A season or period of time, the word's original sense before it named the sea's movement.
Why are there two high tides each day?
The moon raises a bulge of water on the near side and another on the far side, and the earth rotates through both.