in chronology, an aliquot part of a natural day, usually a 24th, but sometimes a 12th. The origin of the word hora, or ὥρα, comes, according to some authors, from a surname of the sun, the father of hours, whom the Egyptians call Horus. Others derive it from the Greek ὥρα, to terminate, distingui/βο, &c. Others from the word ὥρα urine; holding, that Trismegistus was the first that settled the division of hours, which he did from observation of an animal consecrated to Serapis, named cynocephalus, which makes water 12 times a-day, and as often in the night, at equal intervals.

An hour, with us, is a measure or quantity of time, equal to a 24th part of the natural day, or nycthemeron; or the duration of the 24th part of the earth's diurnal rotation. Fifteen degrees of the equator answer to an hour; though not precisely, but near enough for common use. It is divided into 60 minutes; the minute into 60 seconds, &c. The division of the day into hours is very ancient; as is shown by Kircher, *Oedip. Aegypt.* Tom. II. P. II. claff. VII. c. 8.; though the pallages he quotes from Scripture do not prove it.—The most ancient hour is that of the 12th part of the day. Herodotus, lib. ii. observes, that the Greeks learnt from the Egyptians, among other things, the method of dividing the day into twelve parts.—The astronomers of Cathaya, &c. bishop Beveridge observes, still retain this division. They call the hour *chag*; and to each chag give a peculiar name, taken from some animal: The first is called *zeth*, "mouse;" the second, *chiu*, "bullock;" the third, *zem*, "leopard;" the fourth, *mau*, "hare;" the fifth, *chiu*, "crocodile," &c.

The division of the day into 24 hours, was not known to the Romans before the first Punic war.—Till that time they only regulated their days by the rising and setting of the sun. They divided the 12 hours of their day into four, viz. prime, which commenced at six o'clock; third, at nine; sixth, at twelve, and none, at three. They also divided the night into our watches, each containing three hours.

**HOURS**, *Horæ*, in the ancient mythology, were certain goddesses, the daughters of Jupiter and Themis; at first only three in number, Eunomia, Dice, and Irene; to which were afterwards added two more, Carpo and Thallo.

Homer makes them the doorkeepers of heaven. Ovid allots them the employment of harnessing the sun:

> *Jungere equos Titam velocius imperat Horis.* > > And speaks of them as standing, at equal distances, about the throne of Sol:

> *et, positis spatibus equilibus, Horæ.*

The poets represent them as dressed in fine coloured or embroidered robes, and gliding on with a quick and easy motion.

**Hours**, *Hora*, in the Romish church, are certain prayers performed at stated times of the day; as matins, vespers, lauds, &c.—The lesser hours are, prime, tierce, sexta, and none. They are called *hours*, or *canonical hours*, as being to be rehearsed at certain hours prescribed by the canons of that church, in commemoration of the mysteries accomplished at those hours. These hours were anciently also called *curfus, cursus*; F. Mabillon has a dissertation on them, intitled, *De Cursu Gallicano*.

The first constitution enjoining the observation of the canonical hours, is of the ninth century, being found in a capitular of Heito bishop of Basil directed to his curates, importing that the priests shall never be absent at the canonical hours either by day or night.

**Hour-Glass**, a popular kind of chronometer or clepsydra, serving to measure the flux of time by the descent or running of sand out of one glass vessel into another. The best hour-glasses are those which, instead of sand, have egg-shells well dried in the oven, then beaten fine and fitted.—Hour-glasses are much used at sea for reckoning, &c.