week
English
Alternative forms
- weeke (obsolete)
Etymology
From Middle English weke, from Old English wice, wucu (“week”), from Proto-Germanic *wikǭ (“turn, succession, change, week”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyg-, *weyk- (“to bend, wind, turn, yield”). Related to Proto-Germanic *wīkaną (“to bend, yield, cease”).
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Wiek, West Frisian wike, Dutch week, German Woche, Danish uge, Norwegian Nynorsk veke, Swedish vecka, Icelandic vika, Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌺𐍉 (wikô, “turn for temple service”), Latin vicis. Related also to Old English wīcan (“to yield, give way”), English weak.
Pronunciation
- (General American) IPA(key): /wik/
- enPR: wēk, IPA(key): /wiːk/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (UK) (file) Audio (file) - Rhymes: -iːk
- Homophone: weak
Noun
week (plural weeks)
- Any period of seven consecutive days.
- 2013 July 6, “The rise of smart beta”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8843, page 68:
- Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.
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- A period of seven days beginning with Sunday or Monday.
- A period of five days beginning with Monday.
- A subdivision of the month into longer periods of work days punctuated by shorter weekend periods of days for markets, rest, or religious observation such as a sabbath.
- A 4-day week consists of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
- Seven days after (sometimes before) a specified date.
- I'll see you Thursday week.
Derived terms
Translations
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See also
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutch week, from Middle Dutch weke, from Old Dutch *wika, from Proto-Germanic *wikǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *weyg- (“to bend, wind, turn, yield”). Compare English week, West Frisian wike, German Woche.
Dutch
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -eːk
- IPA(key): /ʋeːk/
Audio (file)
Etymology 1
From Middle Dutch wēke, from Old Dutch *wika, from Proto-Germanic *wikǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *weyg- (“to bend, wind, turn, yield”).
Derived terms
Descendants
- Afrikaans: week
Etymology 2
From Middle Dutch wêec, from Old Dutch *wēk, from Proto-Germanic *waikwaz.
Adjective
Inflection
Inflection of week | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
uninflected | week | |||
inflected | weke | |||
comparative | weker | |||
positive | comparative | superlative | ||
predicative/adverbial | week | weker | het weekst het weekste | |
indefinite | m./f. sing. | weke | wekere | weekste |
n. sing. | week | weker | weekste | |
plural | weke | wekere | weekste | |
definite | weke | wekere | weekste | |
partitive | weeks | wekers | — |
Antonyms
Derived terms
- weekdier
- weekheid
- weekloon
- weke delen (in Dutch lurale tantum): soft tissues
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the main entry.