Etymograph

English

week

Week comes from Middle English wyke, from Old English wice, from Proto-Germanic *wikǭ ‘sequence’, from PIE *weyg- ‘to bend’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyg-1‘to bend’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wikǭ1‘sequence’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wikā1reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150wice1
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wyke1
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2013week1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English week
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, The rise of smart beta: “Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyg-Wiktionary, English week‘to bend’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wikǭWiktionary, English week‘sequence’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wikāWiktionary, English weekreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150wiceWiktionary, English week
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wykeWiktionary, English week
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2013weekWiktionary, English week. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2013, The rise of smart beta: “Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weyg- ‘to bend, curve’

weak, wick, 2 more

Today it means

noun Any period of seven consecutive days.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “week”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyg- / week

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