Where does “weekend” come from?
Weekend derives from English week, Middle English weke, Old English wice, Proto-Germanic waikwaz, and Proto-Indo-European roots weg-, weyk-, wey-, and h₂ent-.
weekend (English): The break in the working week, usually two days...
Definitions
- The break in the working week, usually two days...
Ancestry of “weekend”, step by step
weekend traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English week
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | week | Any period of seven consecutive days; A period of... |
| 2 | Middle English | wyke | Alternative form of wikke; Alternative form of... |
| 3 | Old English | wīc | dwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;... |
| 4 | German | witz | joke |
| 5 | Middle High German | witz | — |
| 6 | Old High German | wizzi | — |
| 7 | Proto-West Germanic | wītī | punishment |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |
via English End
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | End | A key that when pressed causes the cursor to go... |
| 2 | Middle English | ende | The end or finishing of a thing; the terminal... |
| 3 | Old English | ende | end, limit, border, corner |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | andi | in addition, furthermore, and |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énti | opposite; near; in front |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂énts | forehead; front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |