víkend

The word víkend is used in Czech and Slovak to indicate the weekend. It is a loanword from the English term weekend, referring to the part of the week set aside for rest and leisure, traditionally the days Saturday and Sunday. The term is widely used in everyday speech, media, and advertising, and it is written with diacritics in both languages as víkend.

In standard usage, the weekend consists of Saturday and Sunday, though some work schedules and cultural practices around these days may vary. Phrases such as víkendové aktivity (weekend activities) or víkendový odpočinek (weekend rest) are common. The adjective víkendový is used to describe things related to the weekend, such as víkendový program or víkendový pobyt.

Historically, the adoption of a two-day weekend occurred during the 20th century as a result of labor reforms and industrialization across Central Europe. In Czech and Slovak contexts the weekend is a socially recognized period for family time, recreation, and personal projects, but many sectors still operate on weekends or have special hours.

Beyond Czech and Slovak, the term weekend is widely used internationally, while other languages have their own terms for the same concept (for example, the Polish weekend and the Hungarian hétvége). In the Czech and Slovak-speaking world, víkend is the standard label for this part of the week.