weekend

Etymology

From week + end. Originally a Northern England regionalism (see 1903 quotation), in more general use from late 19th century. Compare Saterland Frisian Wiekeneende (“weekend”), West Frisian wykein (“weekend”), Dutch weekeinde (“weekend”), German Low German Wekenenn (“weekend”), German Wochenende (“weekend”).

noun

1. The break in the working week, usually two days including the traditional holy or sabbath day. Thus in western countries, Saturday and Sunday.
   “They can live upon barley-meal without a morsel of meat from week-end to week-end, can these miserable Sawnies,” quoth another. 1874 July–December, W. Senior, “With the Herring Fleet”, in The Gentleman's Magazine, page 704
   […] often took a few boys down there for what we North Country folk call the week-end — Saturday and Sunday; it was also used as a sanatorium if required. 1903, Francis Markham, Sir Clements Robert Markham, Recollections of a town boy at Westminster, 1849–1855, page 34
   I love a phrase of Dizzy's in one of his later letters to Lady Bradford, whom he reproaches for her addiction to what we now call week-end visits to country houses: “the monotony of organized platitude.” June 21, 1921, The Earl of Oxford and Asquith, K.G., chapter XX, in Memories and Reflections 1852–1927, volume 2, Cassell and Company, published 1928, →OCLC, page 197

verb

1. To spend the weekend.
   We'll weekend at the beach.

adj

1. Of, relating to or for the weekend.
   I'm wearing my weekend shoes.
2. Occurring at the weekend.
   a weekend break