Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A period of 14 days; two weeks.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The space of fourteen days; two weeks.
Wiktionary
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The space of fourteen days; two weeks.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a period of fourteen consecutive days
Etymologies
- Middle English fourtenight, alteration of fourtene night, fourteen nights : Old English fēowertēne, fourteen; see kwetwer- in Indo-European roots + Old English niht, night; see nokwt- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“General meeting to be adjourned from fortnight to fortnight* ntil committees are appointed.”
“One weekend in a fortnight is what's commonly awarded and it's not a meaningful time," said Adrienne Burgess, director of research at the Fatherhood Institute.”
“If you think it useful to write to me, within a fortnight from the present date, direct to me at the post-office, Portsmouth.”
“The Lib Dems are a minority administration, so the next fortnight is going to involve a fair amount of negotiation.”
“One of the most important names mentioned in the past fortnight is that of Marshall Zhukov.”
“A fortnight is not too long for a healthy man to restrain himself with advantage.”
“Alas! thought she, how long, in the careful and rare wear of Etherington and Cleves, all this would have served me; while here, in this daily use, a fortnight is scarce passed, yet all is spoilt and destroyed.”
“Surely the acquaintance of a fortnight is very insufficient to form her judgment of a character on which the happiness of her whole life is to depend.”
“Soon, did I say! when not a fortnight is yet expired of the long and tedious month I must linger out here!”
Evelina: or, The History of a Young Lady's Entrance Into the World
“The Whites, who sealed the title a fortnight ago, remain on course to break the 100-point barrier.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘fortnight’.
bilby I can't count that high :-( Nov 10, 2008
sarra ? bilby? Nov 9, 2008
bilby Uh ... Sep 1, 2008
sonofgroucho I've just realised now (and I'm a bit older than thirty)! Nov 25, 2007
angharad I was nearly thirty before I realised that it's called a fort-night because it's fourteen nights long. Dec 2, 2006