fortnight

缩写自古英语fourteniht, 即fourteen night. 来自古日耳曼民族用夜计时间的风俗习惯。

fortnight

fortnight: [13] The ancient Germanic peoples recorded the passing of time in units of ‘nights’ rather than, as we do, in units of ‘days’: hence a period of two weeks was in Old English fēowertīene niht, or ‘fourteen nights’. By early Middle English times this was starting to be contracted to the single word fortnight. (The parallel sennight ‘week’ [15] – literally ‘seven nights’ – survived dialectally into the 20th century.)
=> fourteen

fortnight (n.)

"period of two weeks," 17c. contraction of Middle English fourteniht, from Old English feowertyne niht, literally "fourteen nights," preserving the ancient Germanic custom of reckoning by nights (mentioned by Tacitus in "Germania" xi). Related: Fortnightly.

1. in a fortnight's time

在两周的时间内

2. You need a break. Why not take a fortnight off from work?

你需要休息, 为什么不休假两周 呢 ?

3. I really feel in the pink after a fortnight's holiday.

度了两星期假后,我的确感到身体非常舒适.

4. This work will tie me up for fortnight.

这项工作将使我忙上两个星期.

5. A fortnight passed in a flash.

一晃半个月过去了.