fortnight English · revision 2204

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈfɔːt.naɪt/ ''(UK)''; /ˈfɔɹt.naɪt/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|fourtenight]],^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) a contraction of ''fourtene night'',^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995) [[inh|ang|fēowertīene niht|t=fourteen nights]],^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(RHWU) from ''fēowertīene'' “fourteen” and ''niht'' “night”.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A period of fourteen nights; two weeks (a1000).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The word preserves the ancient Germanic custom of counting time by nights, mentioned by Tacitus.^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) Barnhart notes the same reckoning in Welsh, where ''wythnos'' “eight nights” means a week and ''pythefnos'' “fifteen nights” a fortnight.^(Barnhart 1995) Phrases like ''Monday fortnight'', “a fortnight from Monday”, date from 1389.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * a1000 – ''fēowertīene niht'', fourteen nights.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * c1300 – ''fourteniht''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1389 – ''this day fortnight'', a fortnight from today.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1549 – attributive, fortnightly.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A period of fourteen days; two weeks.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fortnightly]]

+ * [[sennight]]

+ * [[fourteen]]

+ * [[night]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}