sennight Now arch.
(ˈsɛnaɪt)
Forms: α. see seven and night; β. 2–3 soveniht, 3 seoveniht, -niþt, 3–4 seve-, sove-niȝt, -nyȝt, 4 seovenyght, sefnight, seve-nyht, -niȝth, 4–5 sevenyght(e, sevenyȝt, 5 seve-nyth, -nyut, 6 sevenighte, 6–8 sevenight, 7 seue'night, 7–8 sev'night; γ. 5 sennyȝt, synyght, sennett, sennyt, senit, 5–6 senyght, sennet, 6 senighte, senyghte, seneyt, 6–7 sennyght, 7 senight, senet, senith, sennit, sinnitt, s'ennight, 7, 9 (dial.) se'night, 7–9 se'ennight, se'nnight, 8 (dial.) zennet, 8–9 sen'night, 6– sennight.
[Originally two words: OE. seofon seven, nihta pl. of niht night n. OE. had the derivative seofonnihte adj., seven days old (of the moon). Cf. fortnight.]
A period of seven (days and) nights; a week.
| α a 1000 Elene (Gr.) 694 Heht þa..scufan scyldiᵹne..in dryᵹne seað, þær he duᵹuða leas siomode in sorᵹum seofon nihta fyrst. c 1200 Ormin 545 Hiss sefennnahht To þewwtenn i þe temmple. c 1386 Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 53 Curteys she was..and bar hyr self so faire Syn thilke day þat she was seuen nyght oold. 1415 Sir T. Grey in 43rd Rep. Dep. Kpr. Rec. (1882) 582 A sefenneghte after that Murdok of Fyche was take away. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. (Sommer) 194 b, Iusts, both with sword and launce, mainteined for a seuen-night together. a 1641 Sir J. Finett Observ. (1656) 133 The crosse windes..held him in the Downes almost a seavennight before they would blow him over. 1653 W. Ramesey Astrol. Restored 319 They never appear a shorter time than a seven-night. |
| β c 1205 Lay. 4434 Seoueniht he wes þære. c 1350 Will. Palerne 766 Swiche a sorwe he suffred a seue-niȝt fulle. 1461 Paston Lett. II. 19, I prey ȝow..lat me have an awnswer within this sevenyut. 1553 T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 94 A notable waister, to daie full of money, within seuenight after not worthe a grote. 1652 H. L'Estrange Amer. no Jewes 23 Owr own usuall reckoning by nights, as Sevenight, Fortnight. |
| γ c 1420 Avow. Arth. xlviij, A sennyȝt duellut he thare. a 1529 Skelton E. Rummyng 394, I dranke not this sennet A draught to my pay. 1604 Shakes. Oth. ii. i. 77 The bold Iago, Whose footing heere anticipates our thoughts, A Senights speed. a 1746 Exmoor Scolding (E.D.S.) 42 Nif won zey the le-ast Theng out, tha wut purtee a Zennet arter. 1851 Tennyson E. Morris 30 My love for Nature is as old as I; But thirty moons, one honeymoon to that, And three rich sennights more, my love for her. 1894 K. Grahame Pagan P. 139 A luscious treat that had been specially reserved for me, a sennight past, by the gardener's boy. |
b. this day sennight,
Sunday sennight,
† Sunday come (a) sennight or
was (a), etc. sennight: a week from (this day, etc.).
| c 1205 Lay. 5457 Ȝif ȝe spekeð mid rihte, comeð to dæi a seouen nihte. a 1350 S. Stephen 295 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1881) 31 It fell efter on þat day seuyn night Of al þis same þan had he sight. 1486 Plumpton Corr. (Camden) 68 Upon tewsday come a sennyt. 1549 Latimer 6th Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 158 What doctrine is written for vs in the .viii. Chapter of the fyrst boke of the kynges, I dyd partely shewe vnto you..this day sennight. 1566 Eng. Ch. Furniture (1866) 59 Item one cope one vestment & one albe—sold to Thomas Inman for the some of Vs vpon sondaie was a sevenighte. 1633 W. Mulsho in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 274 They propose to..set forth on Tuesday sevennight. 1644 Symonds Diary (Camden) 50 Newes..That Waller was at Abingdon on Tuesday last was sevenight. 1727 [E. Dorrington] Philip Quarll 87 Bidding him not fail coming there again that Day Sev'night. 1741 Richardson Pamela (ed. 3) II. 153 Every one names Thursday come Sev'nnight for our Nuptials. 1771 Pennant Tour Scot. i. (1774) 96 An assignation, at that very hour, that day sevenight. 1861 May Const. Hist. (1863) I. i. 95 Mr. Canning stated that Lord Eldon's visit to Windsor had taken place on Saturday se'nnight, preceding the change of ministry. |
c. attrib. as in
sennight space;
† sennight day, the space of a week; also, the same day in the following week.
| ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 380 Within a seuenyghte daye..I salle be seene on the see. c 1440 Alphabet of Tales i. 233 Þis wulfe come agayn vppon þe sennet day. 1601 Holland Pliny viii. xlvi. I. 226 And this is one thing to be wondred at, That in that seven-night space there is not one that taketh hurt by Crocodiles. |