| Word of the
Week--"fortnight"
|
Definition----a period of fourteen
days; two weeks.
|
Discussion--Fortnight is
the one word equivalent of the
two words "two weeks". Perhaps it's slightly more economical in that
sense, but mostly fortnight
is an antiquated expression. Many of us get paid every two weeks; few of
us consider that we are paid
fortnightly.
|
| Etymology--Fortnight comes
from the Old English feowertiene niht, meaning 14 nights. Over time it was
compressed to create the new term.
|
Most non-English languages do not
have an equivalent one-word term,
and instead only refer to two weeks. Of these samples, only Spanish has a
one-word term; although
French and Dutch do have one-word terms for bimonthly, the
equivalent of fortnightly. |
Foreign
Translations
|
Translation |
Adjectival Form |
| Spanish: |
quincena |
cada quincena |
| French: |
quinze jours |
bimensuel(le) |
| Dutch: |
veertien dagen |
veertiendaags |
| German: |
14 Tage |
alle 14 Tage |
| Italian: |
quindici giorni |
ogni quindici giorni |
|
