hebdomas
[ˈhɛb.dɔ.mas]feminine
In Latin, the word for 'week' is hebdomas. Wiktionary also lists septimāna.
Meaning: period of seven days (noun)
Ways to say it
| Latin | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hebdomas | [ˈhɛb.dɔ.mas] (Classical Latin, narrow) [ˈɛb.do.mas] (narrow) |
feminine |
| septimāna | Late, feminine |
Both hebdomas and septimāna are feminine nouns used to refer to a period of seven days.
What does it mean word for word?
The word hebdomas is derived from the Greek word for seven.
Which one should you use?
hebdomas is the classical term derived from Greek, whereas septimāna is a Late Latin term that is more closely related to the English word 'septenary' or 'seventh'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of hebdomas is hebdomadas for the nominative and accusative cases, or hebdomadum for the genitive case.
Did you know?
- Ancient Romans did not originally use a seven-day week in their daily civil calendar, relying instead on a system of eight-day market cycles called nundinae.
- The term hebdomas is a linguistic relative of the English word 'hebdomadal', which means occurring every week.
- The word hebdomas could refer not just to seven days, but also to a period of seven years.
Examples in context
- Hebdomas septem dies habet.A week has seven days.This sentence demonstrates the use of hebdomas to state that a week has seven days.Tatoeba #1261971 by alexmarcelo, translation #653114 by Eldad
- Erat hebdomas terribilis.It was an awful week.This sentence shows how to use hebdomas when describing a week as awful.Tatoeba #6543770 by CarpeLanam, translation #1522195 by Spamster
- In bibliotheca sum omnem septimanam.I am in the library all week.
Example conversation
Gaius and Lucia are discussing their plans for the next few days.
- GaiusQuando redibis domum, Lucia?When will you return home, Lucia?
- LuciaProxima hebdomade redibo.I will return next week.
- GaiusEstne longa hebdomas?Is it a long week?
- LuciaIta, sed necesse est.Yes, but it is necessary.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “week” translations and entries hebdomas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hebdomas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
