In reply to:
fortnight = quinze jours
I occurs to me that a simpler explanation is that the French were using the ancient counting method (the Greek & Roman method, among others) whereby you counted both ends of a series. I always had a problem in Sunday School with the assertion that Christ rose from the dead on the third day [after he died]; couldn't figure how you got 3 days from p.m. Friday to early a.m. Sunday. The answer is that in ancient times they counted Friday (1), Saturday (2), Sunday (3). Hence Monday Jan 1 to Mon. Jan 15 is Jan 1 (1), Jan 2 (2) ... Jan 15 (15). Tout simple, n'est-ce pas?
While I'm at it, I trust everyone is aware that fortnight is pronounced fortnit. Also, for those of you who have never seen sennight in print, it's found is one of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe stories (I forget offhand which one). Stout, and his creation, Wolfe, would have been ecstatic over this site.
