A “moment” technically means 90 seconds

clock-momentHave you ever wondered when people ask if you give them a moment of your time? Or when people say “Yes, just a moment while I…”

How long actually is a moment? As it turns out, it’s precisely 90 seconds.

The unit of measurement actually dates back to 1398, when John of Trevisa wrote that there are 40 moments in an hour. Of course, meanings of words can change in over six hundred years or so. The Oxford English Dictionary now defines it as “a very brief period of time”, but if we want to go off the origin of the word, it’s 90 seconds.

It really is fascinating if you think about it.  But only for a moment.