Meaning
In Australian English, arvo is an informal noun meaning afternoon, especially in everyday expressions such as this arvo or Saturday arvo.
How it is used
Arvo is a routine shortened form of afternoon and often appears after time words or determiners. It is one of the clearest examples of the Australian preference for clipped forms ending in -o.
Examples
- “I'll call you this arvo.”
- “We're heading to the beach Saturday arvo.”
- “The delivery should arrive sometime in the arvo.”
Pronunciation
/ˈɑːvəʊ/ · AR-voh
Tone and register
Casual and ordinary rather than strongly slangy or comic in Australian conversation.
Visitor guidance
Visitors can understand arvo simply as afternoon. Because the word is deeply familiar in Australia, exaggerated pronunciation or stacking it with other stereotypes is unnecessary.
Cultural context
The Australian National Dictionary Centre describes arvo as an example of the characteristic Australian pattern of abbreviating a word and adding -o; Cambridge labels it informal Australian English.
Origin
The Australian National Dictionary Centre records arvo from the 1920s and identifies it as part of a productive Australian -o abbreviation pattern.
Places represented
Open the reviewed place guide for each regional sense carried by this canonical entry.
Comparisons featuring this term
Open reviewed place comparisons that explicitly use this canonical term in their editorial comparison set.