weekend
Meaning
Saturday and Sunday, especially considered as a time for leisure and rest
To spend the weekend somewhere
Structure
Usage
We're going to the countryside for the weekend.
The office is closed on the weekend.
They weekend at their beach house whenever they can.
Etymology
The word "weekend" is a transparent compound formed within Modern English from the native Germanic nouns "week" and "end." Its logic is purely temporal and spatial, designating the concluding part of the standard seven-day cycle. The concept and term solidified in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reflecting industrialized society's formalization of Saturday and Sunday as a distinct block of leisure time separate from the workweek. Its formation follows a straightforward pattern common in English, where two existing nouns combine to create a new, specific concept.
Analysis
- week: From Old English wice, wicu, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch week and German Woche. Functions as the base noun denoting a time period. - end: From Old English ende, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch einde and German Ende. Functions as a noun indicating a limit or conclusion.