Where does “weekend” come from?
weekend (French) comes from English weekend, from English week, from Middle English wyke, from Old English wīc, from German witz, from Middle High German witz, from Old High German wizzi, from Proto-West Germanic wītī — to see.
weekend (French): Alternative form of week-end
Definitions
- Alternative form of week-end
Ancestry of “weekend”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | weekend | The break in the working week, usually two days... |
| 2 | English | week | Any period of seven consecutive days; A period of... |
| 3 | Middle English | wyke | Alternative form of wikke; Alternative form of... |
| 4 | Old English | wīc | dwelling place, abode; abode, dwelling-place;... |
| 5 | German | witz | — |
| 6 | Middle High German | witz | — |
| 7 | Old High German | wizzi | — |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | wītī | punishment |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | witją | knowledge; reason; sense; understanding; wit |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | *witaną | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | wóyde | to have seen, to know |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | weyd- | to see |