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Other

bi-

Pronunciation: /bʌɪ/

Definition of bi-

combining form

  • two; having two:bicoloured biathlonSee also bin-.
  • occurring twice in every one or once in every two:bicentennial
  • lasting for two:biennial
  • doubly; in two ways:biconcave
  • Chemistry (in names of compounds) containing two atoms or groups of a specified kind:biphenyl
  • Chemistry denoting an acid salt:bicarbonate
  • Botany & Zoology (of division and subdivision) twice over:bipinnate

Origin:

from Latin, 'doubly, having two'; related to Greek di- 'two'

The meaning of bimonthly (and other similar words such as biweekly and biyearly) is ambiguous. Such words can either mean ‘occurring or produced twice a month’ or ‘occurring or produced every two months’. The only way to avoid this ambiguity is to use alternative expressions like every two months and twice a month. Biannual and biennial are also confusing: biannual means ‘occurring twice a year’ and biennial means ‘occurring every two years’.

bi- in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bi- in the US English dictionary
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