Definition of next tomorrow

The phrase "next tomorrow" may seem like an oxymoron, as it seems to contradict the concept of a single tomorrow. However, historically, the expression "next tomorrow" was commonly used in the past, particularly in older English texts dating back to the 17th century. In those times, English did not adopt a uniform calendar throughout the year, and there were varying numbers of days between month lengths. This led to irregularities and confusion regarding the sequence of Sundays, as "tomorrow" did not always refer to the following day due to leap years, intercalated months, and episcopal calendars. In such situations, people often used "next tomorrow" instead of "the day after tomorrow" to avoid ambiguity and clarify their meaning. They did this by translating the expression "two mornings hence" into an alternative that clearly indicated how many days separated their speech from the planned action. Over time, as calendars became standardized, the use of "next tomorrow" diminished, and today it is primarily an obsolete expression understood only in historical contexts.