fortnights

[dakegra]

A discussion this morning threw up the interesting titbit of info:

Apparently Americans don't use the word 'fortnight' to describe a two-week period.

We then got onto the meaning of the word 'bi-weekly', and whether it means twice a week, or every two weeks.

 

So, dear reader:

If you are American - do you know what I mean by 'fortnight', and would you use it in regular everyday use?

What do *you* understand by the term 'bi-weekly'?

 

Thoughts, comments, questions and suggestions onna postcard to the usual address...

Posted via email from dakegra.net

Comments

American

[veronikos.livejournal.com]

I know fortnight, and would use it in everyday parlance. The first American dictionary, by Noah Webster and published in 1828, contains it.

The root bi- means "two." So, biweekly means occurring every two weeks. The root semi- means "half." So semiweekly means every half-week, or, in other words, twice per week.

Re: American

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

interestingly, both Merriam-Webster and Chambers both offer bi-weekly as meaning *either* every two weeks, or twice a week.

Re: American

[maviscruet.livejournal.com]

Semi with bi-yearly. Which either means twice a year OR once every two years. Which as you say - very different things...

Oddly that's been bugging me recently...

Re: American

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

it's been bugging me for *years*

Re: American

[veronikos.livejournal.com]

Which, to me, proves only that errors may creep into references. Who offers biweekly as meaning "twice per week" does so only because he does not know that "semiweekly" is the word he is looking for. :D