fortnight

fortnight
   a traditional English unit of time equal to 2 weeks or 14 days. The word, a contraction of "fourteen nights," has been used since at least the 1100s.

Dictionary of units of measurement. 2015.

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  • Fortnight — Fort night (?; in U.S. often ?; 277), n. [Contr. fr. fourteen nights, our ancestors reckoning time by nights and winters; so, also, seven nights, sennight, a week.] The space of fourteen days; two weeks. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fortnight — 17c. contraction of M.E. fourteniht, from O.E. feowertyne niht, lit. fourteen nights, preserving the ancient Germanic custom of reckoning by nights, mentioned by Tacitus in Germania xi. Related: Fortnightly …   Etymology dictionary

  • fortnight — ► NOUN chiefly Brit. ▪ a period of two weeks. ORIGIN Old English, «fourteen nights» …   English terms dictionary

  • fortnight — [fôrt′nīt΄] n. [ME fourte(n) niht < OE feowertyn niht, lit., fourteen nights] Chiefly Brit. a period of two weeks …   English World dictionary

  • fortnight — noun (BrE) ADJECTIVE ▪ next ▪ last, past, previous ▪ whole VERB + FORTNIGHT ▪ spend …   Collocations dictionary

  • fortnight */*/ — UK [ˈfɔː(r)tnaɪt] / US [ˈfɔrtˌnaɪt] noun [countable] Word forms fortnight : singular fortnight plural fortnights British a period of two weeks a fortnight away from home a fortnight s holiday once a fortnight (= every two weeks): I see her once a …   English dictionary

  • Fortnight — The fortnight is a unit of time equivalent to fourteen days. The word derives from the Old English feorwertyne niht , meaning fourteen nights . [The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 5th Edition, 1964, p. 480] [ Senight , sennight or se night (seven… …   Wikipedia

  • fortnight — fort|night S3 [ˈfo:tnaıt US ˈfo:rt ] n [C usually singular] BrE [: Old English; Origin: feowertyne niht fourteen nights ] two weeks ▪ a fortnight s holiday ▪ in a fortnight s time ▪ a fortnight ago …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • fortnight — fort|night [ fɔrt,naıt ] noun count BRITISH a period of two weeks: once a fortnight (=every two weeks): I see her once a fortnight …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • fortnight — [[t]fɔ͟ː(r)tnaɪt[/t]] fortnights N COUNT A fortnight is a period of two weeks. [mainly BRIT] I hope to be back in a fortnight …   English dictionary

  • fortnight — noun /ˈfɔːt.naɪt,ˈfɔɹt.naɪt/ A period of fourteen nights; two weeks. 1852 [ …   Wiktionary

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