What is a fortnight?
From the Middle English "fourtenight" - or fourteen nights - a fortnight is a contraction meaning a time period of two weeks. The word was originally used in about the year 1000. Example: The Chiefs have no game next week, so they won't play again for a fortnight.
More Info:
www.dictionary.com
What are your thoughts on this subject?
140 Comments
Janet Hart
Funny I knew that from reading sleazy historical romance novels.
Spike Holmes
It's the Queen's English these day's, - has been for 63 years!
William Laughlin
John Hogan Fortnight
Origin and Etymology of fortnight
Middle English fourtenight, alteration of fourtene night, from Old English fēowertȳne niht fourteen nights
Lydia Coutts
^ Very nasty and thoroughly uncalled for. If you want to make unkind personal comments then sod off to YouTube - you'll fit right in.
Steve Tingle
No problem for the English (and probably the rest of the British) but what about sennight? Now obsolete but meaning seven nights or a week.
Barbara Greer
Daniel Halley It's very clear who she's referring to because she's used ^ to point to the comment above hers. Plus, being called centuries old IS rude and offensive, which is basically what the person above her had said about someone.
Lydia Coutts
Thanks Barbara. I thought the arrow sufficiently indicated whom my comment was directed at - particularly as it's the only unkind personal comment - but it seems certain people need things spelled out for them as if they were a small child.
pdeloriol
as in 14 nights. a week is also se'ennight.
Player
Learned this from English novels. I have never heard a Canadian or an American use it in a sentence
Kay Agnew
Evelyn Forbes, I live in the US but I have British friends here!
Player
I had to think for a bit as RPG wasn't an option
Lynda
Sometimes U just don't know what to think
Michael Estabrooks
Learned that from game of thrones
Chris Brown
Most of these questions are ridiculously simple. -- Too easy.
Odd Joe
Gosh, isn't it a popular video game?
Judith Haselgrove
Good fun Jude 😃
Dolph
Spike Holmes, "Balls", said the Queen.."If I had 'em I'd be King"
patbri
It originates from the 14 days guard duty that the Roman Soldiers had to spend on outlying forts hence "Fort nights"
jlmatzke
Let’s move on
simmingerp
Might've seen the word one of Sabatini's works (Rafael Sabatini: The Sea Hawk, Scaramoche, Captain Blood or The Tavern Knight).
dmc
A common comment when I was growing up in America I leant to say bi-weekly....
konrad
The apparent "disuse" of the term is dubious. In my part of the world we collected our wages "fortnightly" for many years. The word was commonly used and we all knew it meant two weeks.