Se'nnight.....just checking.....

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

......the meaning of this word. I know it means a week, in the same way "fortnight" means two weeks.

So, if a newspaper article says "Tuesday se'nnight" does it mean a week last Tuesday (for a date of death)? ie from today, that would be the 29th July, or would it mean "last Tuesday" which was the 5th August??

[Just Gillian]

Merry - I would have thought it meant a week last Tuesday, but I don't know for certain.

[Mary from Italy]

Ditto

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Thanks very much, Mary and Gillian

[Guinevere]

*agrees with Mary and Gillian*

[Roger in Sussex]

My 1898 dictionary says (under Sevennight):

"a week, or the time from one day of the week to the next day of the same denomination, preceding or following." (my italics)

So presumably it depends upon context?

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Quote from Jackson's Oxford Journal 23rd Aug 1828:

"In the morning of yesterday se'nnight Mr Joseph Tyler, shoemaker of North Newton near Banbury, complained of a pain in his bowels, and a little brandy and water was given to him, but the pain increased and within an hour he was a corpse!" blah, blah, blah......

I expect you wish you hadn't asked now!! Joseph Tyler was my 4xg-grandfather.

I presume he died on the 15th August?