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

fortis, fortissimo, fortition, fortitude, fortitudinous, fortnight, fortnightly, fortran, fortress, fortuitism, fortuitous

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