weekend

The word “weekend” means the break at the end of the working week, typically Saturday and Sunday. In plain terms, the two days off at the end of the week, usually Saturday and Sunday.

“Weekend” is pronounced wee-KEHND (/ˈwiˌkɛnd/ in IPA).

Here is “weekend” used in a sentence: “We're planning a trip to the coast this weekend.”

Depending on how it is used, “weekend” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “weekend” dates back to around 1800. A compound of week and end, originally a Northern English regional term that spread into general use in the late 19th century.

“Weekend” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Weekend” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the break at the end of the working week, typically Saturday and Sunday.

In most of the world the weekend is Saturday and Sunday, the two days off at the end of the working week. It is not universal, though: in many Middle Eastern countries the weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, reflecting local working patterns and religious observance.

Weekdays are the working days of the week — usually Monday to Friday — when most people go to work or school. The weekend is the break that follows, typically Saturday and Sunday, set aside for rest and leisure. Together they make up the seven-day week.

The two-day weekend grew out of religious rest days — Sunday for Christians and Saturday for Jews — and was cemented by twentieth-century labour reforms. Employers found that giving workers both days improved productivity and morale, and the Saturday–Sunday break gradually became the standard across much of the world.