week

[ week ]

noun

1. a period of seven successive days:

   That wallpapering I thought I could do in two days ended up taking me a whole week.

2. the period of seven days from Sunday through Saturday, generally understood as the common representation of a week on a calendar:

   The 1st of next month is a Tuesday, so the first full week will begin on the 6th.

3. a period of seven successive days that begins with or includes an indicated day:

   the week of June 3; Christmas week.

4. (often initial capital letter) a period of seven successive days devoted to a particular celebration, honor, cause, etc.:

   National Book Week.

5. the working days or working portion of the seven-day period; workweek:

   Not all American workers put in the same number of hours on the job, but a 40-hour week is the norm.

adverb

1. British. seven days before or after a specified day:

   I shall come Tuesday week. He left yesterday week.

week

/ wiːk /

noun

1. a period of seven consecutive days, esp one beginning with Sunday hebdomadal
2. a period of seven consecutive days beginning from or including a specified day

   Easter week

   a week from Wednesday

3. the period of time within a week devoted to work
4. a week devoted to the celebration of a cause

adverb

1. seven days before or after a specified day

   I'll visit you Wednesday week

Word History and Origins

Origin of week¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English weke, Old English wice; cognate with Dutch week, Old Norse vika “week,” Gothic wikō “turn”; akin to Latin vicis (genitive) “turn” ( vice ³ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of week¹

Old English wice, wicu, wucu; related to Old Norse vika, Gothic wikō order

Example Sentences

This week, Florida became the 36th state to allow same-sex marriage.

From The Daily Beast

Earlier this week, Huckabee ended his Fox News talk show so he could spend time mulling another bid for the Republican nomination.

From The Daily Beast

In Dresden, Germany, anti-Islam rallies each week draw thousands of demonstrators.

From The Daily Beast

Last week I turned 40, a bittersweet occasion because I crossed the line to living longer without my mother than with her.

From The Daily Beast

Training in Taji began Dec. 20; a week later, 218 Iraqis began receiving training in Anbar.

From The Daily Beast

Dick was at the wharf, one day last week, when one of the up river boats arrived.

From Project Gutenberg

During the first week, not a day passed without smart skirmishes.

From Project Gutenberg

Within a week all Missouri will be ablaze, and the hottest place for Yankees in all Christendom.

From Project Gutenberg

But I will plough one more field this week; though, I know not why it is, my thoughts go against it even now.

From Project Gutenberg

The governess is Swiss and for one week she talks nothing but French and for another nothing but German.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• age
• date
• day
• era
• future
• generation
• hour
• life
• moment
• month
• occasion
• pace
• past
• point
• present
• season
• second
• space
• stage
• term