late-morning

The compound "late-morning" is a transparent English formation, combining two native Germanic elements to denote a specific time period. The word "late" evolved from the Old English læt, which originally meant "slow" or "sluggish," a sense that extended to mean "after the expected or proper time." "Morning" derives from "morn," referring to the early part of the day. When combined, the literal meaning "the part of the morning that is tardy or advanced" logically creates the modern sense of the period approaching noon, illustrating how English readily forms precise temporal descriptors through compounding.

Structure: late (after the usual time) + morning (the early part of the day) - late: From Old English læt (slow, tardy), of Germanic origin. Functions as an adjective modifying 'morning'. - morning: From Middle English morwening, from morwen (morrow) + -ing (suffix denoting a period). Functions as the core noun.