Fortnight

A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (2 weeks). The word comes from the Old English: fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights".^[1]^[2] Some wages and salaries are paid every fortnight; however, in North America it is more common to use the term biweekly. Neither of these terms should be confused with semimonthly.

Astronomy

In astronomy, a lunar fortnight is half a synodic month, equal to the mean period between a full moon and a new moon (and vice versa). This is equal to 14.77 days.^[3]^[4]

Sports

A fortnight is a word that is commonly used in sporting communities. Many big sports events have a two-week or around a half-month time frame. In tennis, Wimbledon and the other Grand Slam tournaments are played over two weeks and are often referred to as lasting a fortnight. The Summer and Winter Olympics are also slightly longer than two weeks and may be called a fortnight as well. Various other events in the sporting world may last around a fortnight.

References

↑ "Fortnight". The Concise Oxford Dictionary (5th ed.). 1964. p. 480.
↑ Senight, sennight or se'night (seven-night), an old word for the week, was still in use in the early 19th century, to judge from Jane Austen's letters.
↑ Littmann, Mark; Fred Espenak; Ken Willcox (2008). Totality: Eclipses of the Sun. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-953209-5.
↑ Weisstein, Eric W. "Synodic Month definition".

[1] "Fortnight". The Concise Oxford Dictionary (5th ed.). 1964. p. 480.

[2] Senight, sennight or se'night (seven-night), an old word for the week, was still in use in the early 19th century, to judge from Jane Austen's letters.

[totality-3] Littmann, Mark; Fred Espenak; Ken Willcox (2008). Totality: Eclipses of the Sun. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-953209-5.

[4] Weisstein, Eric W. "Synodic Month definition".

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