FR: avant minuit - absence d'article

[OldGrantonian]

Is there a rule, or hint, or mnemonic that "avant minuit" has no article?

A link to a French grammar site might be all that's needed.

As far as I know, no article is used with :

- avant minuit
- avant midi
- avant lundi
- avant mars
- avant 2021

The following link contains the title:

- 3. Omission of the article

But the text does not mention "avant".

Online French Grammar - Articles

The following link says:

- As a general rule, if you have a noun in French, there is virtually always an article in front of it, unless you use some other type of determiner such as a possessive adjective (mon, ton, etc.) or a demonstrative adjective (ce, cette, etc).

French Articles Can Be Confusing — Here's How to Make Sense of Them

The following link specifically says:

- The following prepositions generally require the article before the noun

"Avant" is first in the list.

French Grammar; Or, Theoretical & Practical Lessons in the French Language

Thanks.

 

[Maître Capello]

The absence of article has everything to do with minuit (or midi, mars, etc.). It has absolutely nothing to do with avant. Those words just happen to be typically used without an article. Regarding minuit, the reason is that it is a time (12 o'clock) where no article is used.

 

[OldGrantonian]

I think I've put the charrette in front of the cheval.

 

[Bezoard]

However… it is possible to find "avant la minuit", which gives a kind of old-fashioned flavour.

Le Bon usage