fortnight

/ˈfɔːtˌnaɪt/FAWRT-nyt

/ˈfɔɹtˌnaɪt/FAWRT-nyt

Meaningfourteen nights

Common meaning: two weeks

fortnightfourteen + nightsSkeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), p. 217 · scan

Journey through time

Middle Englishfourten niȝt‘fourteen nights’source
Middle Englishfourtenightsource
Englishmeaning shiftsfourteen nights → two weeksfortnight‘two weeks’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English fēowertȳne + niht ‘fourteen + nights’.

Roots

fēowertȳne + niht Old English “fourteen + nights”

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