fortnightly adj : occurring every two weeks [syn: biweekly] adv : every two weeks; "he visited his cousins fortnightly" [syn: biweekly]

English

Etymology

• Attested since 17th century, from Middle English fourtenight, from Old English fēowertēne niht, "fourteen nights" or two weeks.

Noun

1. a publication issued fortnightly; a bi-weekly

Translations

• Dutch: tweewekelijks
• French: bihebdomadaire
• German: Halbmonatsschrift
• Polish: dwutygodnik
• Portuguese: quinzenário
• Slovak: dojtýždenník

Adjective

fortnightly

1. occuring once in a fortnight

Translations

• Dutch: tweewekelijks
• French: bihebdomadaire
• German: vierzehntäglich, zweiwöchentlich
• Slovak: dvojtýždenný -á -é m/f/n
• Hungarian: kéthetenti
• Polish: dwutygodniowy , dwutygodniowa , dwutygodniowe
• Portuguese: quinzenal
• Spanish: bisemanal

Adverb

fortnightly

1. once in a fortnight

Translations

• Dutch: tweewekelijks
• German: alle vierzehn Tage, alle zwei Wochen
• Polish: co dwa tygodnie
• Slovak: dvojtýždenne
• Hungarian: kéthetente
• Spanish: bisemanalmente

Bi-weekly, sometimes referred to as fortnightly, is a reference to an event that occurs once every two weeks. A two week interval is equivalent to one fortnight. An example of a biweekly event would be the production of some magazines or the payday of some companies.

fort·night·ly [fawrt-nahyt-lee]adjective, adverb, noun, plural. –adjective 1.occurring or appearing once a fortnight. –adverb 2.once a fortnight. –noun 3.a periodical issued every two weeks.

There are fifty-two weeks in a year of twelve months, making for a possible 26 biweekly events in a year. This is a greater number than if such events were held twice a month, due to the fact that most months have more than four weeks (28 days). However, biweekly is often thought of incorrectly as twice a month. Twice a month is called "semimonthly," not biweekly.

According to Webster's dictionary, Bi-weekly can also be a reference to an event that occurs twice per week. Given the ambiguity and unscientific nature of this denotation, some authorities recommend avoiding the term where precision is required.

See Also

References and Notes

annual, biannual, biennial, bimonthly, biweekly, catamenial, centenary, centennial, daily, daybook, decennial, diary, diurnal, ephemeris, gazette, hebdomadal, hourly, journal, magazine, menstrual, momentary, momently, monthly, newsmagazine, organ, periodical, pictorial, quarterly, quotidian, review, secular, semestral, semiannual, semimonthly, semiweekly, semiyearly, serial, slick magazine, tertian, trade magazine, triennial, weekly, yearbook, yearly