5 ms·

As an Aussie, I was amazed to learn that most Americans had never heard of fortnight (or maybe knew exactly what length of time it is). I guess the funny thing

As an Aussie, I was amazed to learn that most Americans had never heard of fortnight (or maybe knew exactly what length of time it is). I guess the funny thing is that it is a non-obvious contraction of "fourteen nights" - and not "forty nights".

yitchelle 5y ago
When I used first used it in Europe, none of my colleagues from Germany or the UK has heard of it either. I changed it to once every two weeks to avoid confusion.
- Doctor_Fegg 5y ago
  That seems odd. “Fortnight” is very common in British English.
  - yitchelle 5y ago
    As far as I can remember (many years ago), my UK colleagues were not natives, and have only moved there only just a short time before. That would explain it.
- giantandroids 5y ago
  That does not sound right at all, its a very common a word in the UK. Fortnight derives from Old English "fēowertyne niht", meaning "fourteen nights" Are you sure that was not the case for non native speaking folks in living in the UK.
  - yitchelle 5y ago
    I think you are correct. It was many years ago but I remembered that they mentioned to be that they have just moved to the UK.
- Semaphor 5y ago
  I guess those Germans never read English fantasy novels where it’s an extremely common word.
RheingoldRiver 5y ago
Huh, I was told growing up (in the USA) that it was called this because it was the duration of a soldier's tenure at a fort, so literally a fort-night. Searching online now, I can find literally nothing to back up this (clearly incorrect) etymology anywhere, every single source says fourteen nights. Did anyone else learn this?
- richrichardsson 5y ago
  On thinking about it just now, I assumed (correctly it seems) that fortnight is a contraction of Fo(u)r(teen )night(s).
  - dragontamer 5y ago
    Americans were all about shortening words and phrases in the late 1700s / early 1800s. Worse, there was a period of time where Americans would shorten a phrase, then mis-spell it for the lulz. The most famous example is "All Complete" -> "Oll Komplete" -> "OK" -> okay.
    - ncmncm 5y ago
      Those were, in fact, thoroughly English foibles only preserved in the colonies. But the English love to complain about that. Every British tabloid has a regular, very popular column peeving about yet another abomination by the Americans, or the South Africans, or the Australians. Without exception they note what is simply a local fashion lately abandoned locally, but preserved as if in amber elsewhere. The complaints are really about distant people failing to slavishly follow current London trends by abandoning usage London has abandoned. The peculiar popularity of such peeving could be interpreted as wistfulness for a time when London mattered. And, by the way, that derivation of "OK" is suspect. It is just as likely to have been (fashionably) sarcastic commentary on well-established common oral usage. Etymologists are generally obliged to rely on written sources, but word origins routinely predate the first written use by many decades. Slang originating in exclusive universities is vanishingly rare.

yitchelle 5y ago

When I used first used it in Europe, none of my colleagues from Germany or the UK has heard of it either. I changed it to once every two weeks to avoid confusion.

Doctor_Fegg 5y ago
That seems odd. “Fortnight” is very common in British English.
- yitchelle 5y ago
  As far as I can remember (many years ago), my UK colleagues were not natives, and have only moved there only just a short time before. That would explain it.
giantandroids 5y ago
That does not sound right at all, its a very common a word in the UK. Fortnight derives from Old English "fēowertyne niht", meaning "fourteen nights" Are you sure that was not the case for non native speaking folks in living in the UK.
- yitchelle 5y ago
  I think you are correct. It was many years ago but I remembered that they mentioned to be that they have just moved to the UK.
Semaphor 5y ago
I guess those Germans never read English fantasy novels where it’s an extremely common word.

RheingoldRiver 5y ago

Huh, I was told growing up (in the USA) that it was called this because it was the duration of a soldier's tenure at a fort, so literally a fort-night. Searching online now, I can find literally nothing to back up this (clearly incorrect) etymology anywhere, every single source says fourteen nights. Did anyone else learn this?

richrichardsson 5y ago
On thinking about it just now, I assumed (correctly it seems) that fortnight is a contraction of Fo(u)r(teen )night(s).
- dragontamer 5y ago
  Americans were all about shortening words and phrases in the late 1700s / early 1800s. Worse, there was a period of time where Americans would shorten a phrase, then mis-spell it for the lulz. The most famous example is "All Complete" -> "Oll Komplete" -> "OK" -> okay.
  - ncmncm 5y ago
    Those were, in fact, thoroughly English foibles only preserved in the colonies. But the English love to complain about that. Every British tabloid has a regular, very popular column peeving about yet another abomination by the Americans, or the South Africans, or the Australians. Without exception they note what is simply a local fashion lately abandoned locally, but preserved as if in amber elsewhere. The complaints are really about distant people failing to slavishly follow current London trends by abandoning usage London has abandoned. The peculiar popularity of such peeving could be interpreted as wistfulness for a time when London mattered. And, by the way, that derivation of "OK" is suspect. It is just as likely to have been (fashionably) sarcastic commentary on well-established common oral usage. Etymologists are generally obliged to rely on written sources, but word origins routinely predate the first written use by many decades. Slang originating in exclusive universities is vanishingly rare.