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Wochenende

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Etymology and origin of the German word Wochenende

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound, Semantic loan
Ultimate origin
Middle High German (woche,ende)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
German Woche
German Wochenende

Pronunciation

  • /ˈvɔxənˌɛndə/, [ˈvɔ.χn̩ˌʔɛn.də], [ˈʋɔ-][1]

Forms

Wochenende n (genitive Wochenendes, plural Wochenenden, diminutive Wochenendchen n)[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from German Woche + Ende, with the linking element ⟨-n-⟩.[1][2] In the older language it was used now and then for the end of the week; the modern sense, free time from Saturday to Sunday evening, was taken from English weekend and became fashionable after the First World War.[3][2][1] Wiktionary dates the English model to the 19th century and general use in German to about 1920.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Grimms' dictionary quotes it for the end of the week from August Winnig (1926), and in the English sense from the magazine Daheim in 1933, which calls the weekend a recent invention in Germany.[3]

Semantic evolution

In the 1930s the word was used of free time spent on short sporting and recreational trips into the country, and it formed many compounds: Wochenendausflug, Wochenendhäuschen (Seidel, 1935), Wochenendkleidung.[3] Today it usually also includes Friday evening.[4][2]

Timeline

  • After the First World War – The sense of English weekend becomes fashionable.[3][2]
  • About 1920 – In general use.[1]
  • 1933 – The magazine Daheim writes of the weekend as newly introduced.[3]
  • 1935 – Wochenendhäuschen is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The weekend: Saturday and Sunday, often with Friday evening, as days off work: am Wochenende fahren wir an den Bodensee.[4][1]

Usage notes

Ein langes or verlängertes Wochenende is one extended by a holiday, and Schönes Wochenende! is a common parting wish.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, das freie Wörterbuch (German Wiktionary), de.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f Grimm, Jacob; Grimm, Wilhelm (1854–1961), Deutsches Wörterbuch, 16 vols. in 32, Leipzig: Hirzel; digital: Wörterbuchnetz, Trier Center for Digital Humanities, p. 30, 939
  4. ^ a b c Duden. Das große Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache in zehn Bänden (1999), 3rd ed., Mannheim: Dudenverlag
Cite this entry

“Wochenende.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/de/Wochenende. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·