fortnight

[ fawrt-nahyt, -nit ]

/ ˈfɔrtˌnaɪt, -nɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fortnight ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the space of fourteen nights and days; two weeks.

Nearby words

Origin of fortnight

before 1000; Middle English fourtenight, contraction of Old English fēowertēne niht. See fourteen, night

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fortnight

This that you describe must have happened a fortnight after he died.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There were no other visitors save for a man who came for a fortnight with his wife and seven children.
Bin Laden’s Life on the Run, Witnessed by Al Qaeda Child Bride|Michael Daly|July 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Fireplace ashes are a hazard for at least a day and can remain so for as long as a fortnight, Duran says.
Madonna Badger’s ‘Today’ Interview Shouldn’t Ignore Fire’s Tragic Lessons|Michael Daly|June 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A fortnight ago, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, accused Israel of committing "genocide" against the Palestinians.
Turkish Hypocrisy|Benny Morris|March 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Afghanistan was almost forgotten in Britain, until the recent upsurge in British casualties: 16 dead in a fortnight.
How Obama Is Losing Britain|Richard Heller|July 19, 2009|DAILY BEAST
But it means bed for a fortnight or so, and you must go immediately.'
A Great Man|Arnold Bennett
For a fortnight the young soldier remained the same,—feverish, conscious only at intervals.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 15, No. 89, March, 1865|Various
There would be no difficulty as to Parliament; we can call them together at a fortnight's notice.
Memoirs of the Court and Cabinets of George the Third, Volume 2 (of 2)|The Duke of Buckingham
The Coxeyites had been in camp a fortnight when their trial began.
The Cup of Trembling and Other Stories|Mary Hallock Foote
This fortnight past I have been laughing in my sleeve, thinking to myself, 'How happy they are going to be!'
Father Goriot|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for fortnight

fortnight

/ (ˈfɔːtˌnaɪt) /

noun

a period of 14 consecutive days; two weeks

Word Origin for fortnight

Old English fēowertīene niht fourteen nights

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for fortnight

fortnight

17c. contraction of Middle English fourteniht, from Old English feowertyne niht, literally "fourteen nights," preserving the ancient Germanic custom of reckoning by nights, mentioned by Tacitus in "Germania" xi. Related: Fortnightly.