Revised as of
7 July 2023
This one drives me mad. I’m always forgetting which way it goes, so I finally decided to dive into it and figure out what was what. So imagine my surprise when I learned how biwordly the prefix bi- can be. Who knew I could be right twice at a time?
Yep. That’s what I said, and it means you need to be very careful how you word sentences using biweekly, bimonthly, or biyearly as it could go one of two ways. Did you know that a biweekly newsletter could be published 26 times per year . . . or 104 times a year? Which means that bimonthly publications could come out 6 times or 24 times a year while a biyearly publication could be two times a year or every two years. Eeek! Makes me think this idea is bifurcated.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Bi- | Biannual | Biennial |
|---|---|---|
I thought two boxes of bicarb was a great way to depict |
Manhattanhenge is by Americasroof with this derivative work by David Kernow under the CC BY 2.5, CC-BY-SA-3.0, or GFDL licenses, from Wikimedia Commons. — A biannual event, the Manhattan Solstice occurs when the setting sun aligns with the east-west streets in Manhattan in New York City. |
_(7129996103).jpg "black-eyed Susan")
Black-Eyed Susan by Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth! is under the CC-BY-SA-2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Rudbeckia hirta, the black-eyed Susan, is a biennial. |
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Prefix | Adjective
Also biyearly |
Adjective; Noun
Plural: biennials |
| It’s all about two, whether it’s twice a or every two or lasting for two
Doubly [Chemistry] A substance having a double proportion of the radical, group, etc. [Botany & Zoology; of division and subdivision] Twice over |
Twice a year | Every two years
Adjective: Taking place every other year [Especially of a plant] Living or lasting for two years Noun: An event celebrated or taking place every two years |
| Examples: | ||
| Rome’s flag is bicolored.
A biathlon combines two sports. Binoculars are a pair of identical telescopes joined together. A biweekly newspaper comes out every two weeks or twice a week. Bimonthly can occur twice a month or every other month. A biyearly event may take place twice a year or every two years. A bicentennial is a two-hundredth anniversary. A biennium consists of a period of two years. If something is biconcave, it’s concave on both sides. Bicarbonate is a chemical compound our bodies require for digestion. Binoxalate is also a chemical compound formed from oxalic acid by the replacement of half the acid hydrogen. Bipinnate leaves look feathery. |
The biannual meeting of the planning committee meets in January and July.
The flight review guide is re-examined biannually. The art show is biannual, so it won’t happen again for two years. |
Adjective: Summit meetings are normally biennial. I’m not that keen on biennial plants, as it takes them a year to mature enough to bloom in the second year and then they die. These biennial games won’t happen again for two years. Noun: Many biennials will self-seed and appear to be perennials. The last Whitney Biennial was in 2012 and the next will be in 2014. The Biennial of the Americas is an international platform for leaders in business, government, civil society, and the arts to examine the significant issues impacting life in the Americas (Biennial of the Americas). |
| Derivatives: | ||
| Adjective: bi, biaxial, bicameral, bicarb, bicentenary, bicoastal, bicolor, biconvex, biweekly, biyearly, and on and on and on Adverb: bimonthly biweekly, biyearly Noun: bialy, bias, biathlon, bifocals, bilevel, bilingual, bilocation, bimonthly, biplane, bisexual, bistable, biweekly, bi-wiring Verb: bias |
Adverb: biannually | Adverb: biennially |
| History of the Word: | ||
| From the Latin, an earlier dui-, related to the Greek di- meaning two and the Sanskirt dvi- meaning doubly or having two. | It was first recorded in 1875–80; bi- + annual. | Early 17th century from the Latin biennis from bi- meaning twice + annus meaning year + -al. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Bi- vs Biannual vs Biennial
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: biannual
The Free Dictionary: biennial
Merriam-Webster: biannual
Oxford Dictionary: biannual
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Bi-colored American Cocker Spaniel and Her Pup is Galodw13’s own work under the CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL licenses; Emina Cunmulaj3 by Peter Duhon from New York City, USA, (P9142024.JPG) is under the CC BY 2.0 license; and, Spring Flowers is by AutoGyro at English Wikipedia is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via licenses. All are via Wikimedia Commons.
