Fortnight
(Redirected fromFortnightly)
Afortnightis a unit of time equal to 14days(twoweeks). The word derives from theOld Englishtermfēowertīene niht,meaning "fourteennights"(or" fourteen days ", since the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights).[1][2]
Astronomy and tides
Inastronomy,alunar fortnightis half alunar synodic month,which is equivalent to themeanperiod between a full moon and a new moon (and vice versa). This is equal to 14.07 days.[3][4] It gives rise to a lunar fortnightlytidal constituent(see:Long-period tides).
Analogs and translations
In many languages, there is no single word for a two-week period, and the equivalent terms "two weeks", "14 days", or "15 days" (counting inclusively) have to be used.
- Celtic languages:inWelsh,the termpythefnos,meaning "15 nights", is used. This is in keeping with the Welsh term for a week, which iswythnos( "eight nights" ).[5]InIrish,the term iscoicís.
- Similarly, inGreek,the term δεκαπενθήμερο (dekapenthímero), meaning "15 days", is used.
- TheHindu calendaruses theSanskritword पक्ष "pakṣa", meaning one half of alunar month,which is between 14 and 15 solar days.
- InRomance languagesthere are the termsquincena(orquince días) inGalicianandSpanish,quinzenaorquinze diesinCatalanandquinze diasorquinzenainPortuguese,quindicinainItalian,quinze joursorquinzaineinFrench,andchenzinăinRomanian,all meaning "a grouping of 15".
- Semitic languageshave a "doublingsuffix".When added at the end of the word for" week "it changes the meaning to" two weeks ". InHebrew,the single-wordשבועיים(shvu′ayim) means exactly "two weeks". Also inArabic,by adding the commondual suffixto the word for "week",أسبوع,the formأسبوعين(usbu′ayn), meaning "two weeks", is formed.
- Slavic languages:inCzechthe termsčtrnáctidenníanddvoutýdenníhave the same meaning as "fortnight".[6]InUkrainian,the termдва тижніis used in relation to "biweekly, two weeks".
See also
Look upfortnightin Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
- FFF system
- Half-month
- Sennight
- Ides(idus), Roman day for the midst of a month.
References
- ^"Fortnight".The Concise Oxford Dictionary(5th ed.). 1964. p. 480.
- ^Senight,sennightorse'night(seven-night), an old word for the week, was still in use in the early 19th century, to judge fromJane Austen's letters.
- ^Littmann, Mark; Fred Espenak; Ken Willcox (2008).Totality: Eclipses of the Sun.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-953209-4.
- ^Weisstein, Eric W."Synodic Month definition".
- ^BBC (16 October 2014)."BBC Wales - Catchphrase".BBC Wales.Retrieved18 November2016.
Wythnos is a week.
- ^"Do You Know How to Say Fortnight in Different Languages?".indifferentlanguages.
