Definitions for fortnightˈfɔrtˌnaɪt, -nɪt

This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word fortnight

Princeton's WordNet

  1. fortnight, two weeks(noun)

    a period of fourteen consecutive days

    "most major tennis tournaments last a fortnight"


  1. fortnight(Noun)

    A period of fourteen nights; two weeks.

  2. fortnight(Adverb)

    After a fortnight has passed.

    1852 Charles Dickens, Bleak House: We will proceed with the hearing on Wednesday fortnight.

  3. Origin: Contracted form of feowertyne niht. Compare sennight.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Fortnight(noun)

    the space of fourteen days; two weeks



  1. Fortnight

    A fortnight is a unit of time equal to fourteen days. The word derives from the Old English: fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights". Fortnight and fortnightly are commonly used words in Britain, Ireland and many Commonwealth countries such as Australia, India, New Zealand, and Pakistan, where many wages and salaries and most social security benefits are paid on a fortnightly basis. The word is rarely used in North America, except regionally in Canada and in insular traditional communities in the United States. American and Canadian payroll systems may use the term biweekly in reference to pay periods every two weeks. Neither term should be confused with semimonthly.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Fortnight

    fort′nīt, n. two weeks or fourteen days.—adj. and adv. Fort′nightly, once a fortnight. [Contr. of A.S. féowertýne niht, fourteen nights.]

British National Corpus

  1. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'fortnight' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2043

  2. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'fortnight' in Nouns Frequency: #2363


  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of fortnight in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of fortnight in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

  1. Samuel Johnson:


  2. Steve Morris:

    With China, I just threw my laptop over my shoulder and went there for a fortnight, my approach is to make contact with possible dealers, meet them and look at their business plans... I have to ask whether the customer will be sufficiently looked after.

  3. Cyril Connolly:


  4. Sarah Wootton:

    One Briton is already traveling abroad to die every fortnight while over 300 terminally ill people are taking their own lives at home, usually alone and in dangerous ways, every year, the Assisted Dying Bill would have put rigorous safeguards in place, not only to give dying people choice, but also to better protect them.

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Translations for fortnight

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