ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fortnight

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈfɔɹtˌnaɪt// UK //fˈɔːtnaɪt// fort·night Archaic

n. a period of two weeks. It is a common way to talk about time in British English.

n. a period of fourteen days or two weeks. Common in British and Commonwealth English; largely absent from North American usage.


SIMPLE

We are going on holiday for a fortnight.

CONTEXTUAL

The project team meets every fortnight to discuss their progress and set new goals for the next two weeks.

COMPLEX

The publication is released once a fortnight, allowing the editorial team sufficient time to conduct deep investigative research between issues.

Origin

From Middle English fourtenyght, fourtene nyght, from Old English fēowertīene niht (literally “fourteen nights"; the Anglo-Saxons counted by nights), equivalent to fourteen + night. Compare sennight.

Usage

Commonly used with the prepositions 'in' or 'for'.

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