Etimology
From Middle English weke, from Old English wiċe, wucu (“week”), from Proto-West Germanic *wikā, 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 (wikō, “turn for temple service”), Latin vicis, Finnish viikko. Related also to Old English wīcan (“to yield, give way”), English weak and wick.
noun
week (plural weeks)
Any period of seven consecutive days.
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.
Examples
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.
A 4-day week consists of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Related words
synonyms
hebdomad (historical or Christianity), sennight (archaic)
hypernyms
time, day, month, year
meronyms
midweek, weekday, weekend
adjective
week (not comparable)
(postpositive) Seven days after (sometimes before) a specified date.
Examples
I'll see you Thursday week. – "I'll see you a week from Thursday."