bi-
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /baɪ-/, (rare) /bɪ-/
Etymology 1
PIE word |
---|
*dwóh₁ |
Borrowed from Latin bi-, from Proto-Italic *dwi-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwi-. Doublet of twi-.
Prefix
Previous: | uni- |
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Next: | tri- |
bi-
- Two in number.
- biarticular is affecting, or connecting two joints; biaxial is along two axes; bicoloured is of two colours
- Having or possessing two of the root word's quality.
- biangular is having two angles or corners, biantheriferous is having two anthers, bicardial is having two separate hearts, bikont is a eukaryotic cell with two flagella; thought to be the ancestor of all plants
- Both: referring to two as a set.
- biacetabular is relating to both acetabula, biallelic is of or pertaining to both alleles of a gene, bicaval is relating to both veins of the vena cava
- Being different in two ways with respect to the root.
- Forked, divided by two, halved; (chemistry, proscribed) half
- bifurcate is to divide or fork into two channels or branches, bicapitate is to divide something equally between two people or organisations, bicarinate is dividing into two points at the end
- Double, twofold.
- bialgebroid is a double algebroid, bifarious is twofold, double, biarticulated is doubly articulated
- (LGBT) Bisexual, relating to bisexuality.
- bicentric is having a bisexual bias or basis, biphobia is antipathy towards bisexuals, biromantic is romantically attracted to both males and females
- (anatomy) Bilateral, on both sides of the body.
- Twice.
- biannual is occurring twice a year, biannual is something occurring twice each year, biconjugate is paired twice
- Every two; a rate of once every two.
- biannual is occurring once every two years; biennial, bicentennial is occurring every two hundred (200) years
- A pair of; composed of two.
Usage notes
In an old, common method used to indicate the presence of an acidic hydrogen, sodium hydrogen sulfate is called "sodium bisulfate" and sodium hydrogen carbonate is called "sodium bicarbonate". This method is not recommended by IUPAC and does not denote a “doubling up” of a specific group, which is reserved for the Greek prefix di-, as in carbon dioxide (“CO2”).
The prefix bi in the older system comes from the observation that there is two times as much carbonate (CO3) in sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and other bicarbonates as in sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and other carbonates.
As a prefix for periods, bi- is ambiguously used to mean either “once every two periods” or “twice every period”; this is particularly acute for biweekly, bimonthly, and biannual. To avoid ambiguity, semi- or twice can be used to unambiguously mean “every half period” (thus twice every period) or “twice every period”, but there is no general way to refer unambiguously to “once every two periods”. In some cases a separate word is unambiguous, as in fortnightly (“every two weeks”), or biennial (“every two years”), but there is no word that unambiguously refers to “every two months”. Due to the ambiguity, some prefer to use explicit phrases, like “every two months” or “twice a month”.
Derived terms
- bi
- biannual
- biautomaton
- biceps
- bichrome
- bicolor
- bicolour
- biconvex
- bicornuate
- bicycle
- bicyclic
- bicylindrical
- bidentate
- bidirectional
- biennial
- bifacial
- bifocals
- bigender
- bijugate
- bilabial
- bilabiate
- bilanguage
- bilateral
- bilinear
- bilingual
- billion
- bilobate
- bilogarithmic
- bilogarithmical
- bimanual
- bimester
- bimetal
- bimonthly
- binary
- binomial
- biped
- biplane
- bipod
- bipolar
- birefringent
- bireme
- birotate
- biscuit
- bisect
- bisection
- bisector
- biserrate
- bisexual
- bisexuality
- bitartrate
- bivalve
- biweekly
- bialgebra
- bialkali
- bialtitude
- biamping
- biandry
- biangle
- biantennary
- bianthraquinone
- biarc
- biarchy
- biarchy
- biareal
- biarsenical
- biarsenical
- biarticular
- biarticulate
- biaryl
- biaryl
- biraryl
- biauricular
- biaxial
- biaxial
- bibenzimidazole
- bibenzyl
- biceps
- bicorn
- bicalicene
- bicameral
- bicameral
- bicameral
- bicolour
- bicolour
- bicolour
- bicolouration
- bicoloured
- bicolpate
- bicolumnar
- bicombing
- bicommunal
- bicompartmental
- bicompetent
- bicomponent
- biconceptual
- biconditional
- bicondylar
- bicone
- biconic
- biconical
- biconjugate
- biconnected
- biconsonantal
- biconsonantal
- biconstituent
- bicontinental
- bicontinuous
- biacid
- bialate
- biandry
- biangular
- biannulate
- biantheriferous
- biapical
- biarcuate
- biarmed
- biaspectual
- biauriculate
- biauriculate
- biautomatic
- biaxial
- biaxial
- bibasic
- bicallose
- biceps
- bicorn
- bicorn
- bicorn
- biforate
- biforate
- biforate
- bikont
- bilete
- bimastism
- bisemic
- bisemous
- bibracteate
- bibracteolate
- bicalcarate
- bicameral
- bicardial
- bicarotid
- bicarpellate
- bicaudal
- bicaudate
- bicausal
- bicellular
- bicentric
- bicentrism
- bicephalism
- bicephalic
- bicephalous
- bicephaly
- bichambered
- bichord
- biacuminate
- bicoordinate
Translations
|
Etymology 2
From Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”).
Derived terms
Catalan
Derived terms
Further reading
- “bi-” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “bi-”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
- “bi-” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
Czech
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [bɪ ]
Related terms
- binárka
- binární
- kombajn
- kombajnér
- kombajnista
- kombi
- kombík
- kombinace
- kombinačky
- kombinát
- kombinatorika
- kombinatorický
- kombiné
- kombinéza
- kombinovat
- masokombinát
- překombinovat
- rekombinace
Further reading
- bi- in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
Danish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈb̥i]
See also
Finnish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbi-/, [ˈbi-]
Derived terms
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/
Audio (file)
Derived terms
Galician
Derived terms
From
.
Further reading
- “bi-”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, since 2012
German
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Derived terms
Gothic
Indonesian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [bi]
- Hyphenation: bi
Derived terms
Further reading
- “bi-” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.
Irish
Mutation
Irish mutation | ||
---|---|---|
Radical | Lenition | Eclipsis |
bi- | bhi- | mbi- |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bit-”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/
- Hyphenation: bi-
Derived terms
Latin
Etymology
From Proto-Italic *dwi-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwi- (“two-; twice-”), prefix form corresponding to the numeral *dwóh₁ (“two”); the origin in PIE of the *i here is uncertain.[1]
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /bi/, [bɪ]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /bi/, [biː]
Derived terms
References
- “bi-”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “bi-” on page 231/3 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)
- De Vaan, Michiel (2008) “bi-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 71
Malay
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi-/
- Hyphenation: bi-
Prefix
bi- (Jawi spelling بی-)
Usage notes
- While there have been efforts to popularize the use of this prefix in scientific and technological coinages, currently, its range of use is very limited, and so, it is found only in a small number of words.
Usage notes
- This prefix is unproductive and is only found in loanwords borrowed from English which contain the prefix.
Derived terms
References
- Nik S. Farid M. Hashim H. & Abdul H. (2004). Tatabahasa dewan : edisi baharu. Dewama Sdn. Bhd.
Middle English
Etymology 1
Inherited from Old English be-, from Proto-West Germanic *bi-, from Proto-Germanic *bi-, from *bi-; compare by-.
The pronunciation /bi-/ (instead of expected /bə-/) is probably due to the influence of the preposition by.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi-/
Prefix
bi-
- A prefix forming transitive verbs from any content word, often denoting completion or thoroughness.
- A prefix forming prepositions, often denoting adjacency, position, or relation.
Derived terms
References
- “bi-, pref.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- “bi-, pref.(3).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Navajo
Usage notes
This prefix often corresponds to an English possessive ’s appended to the preceding word. For example, Diné bizaad means literally “the People their-language”, equivalent to “the People’s language” (i.e., Navajo language).
Northern Kurdish
Norwegian Bokmål
See also
References
- “bi-” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
See also
References
- “bi-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Ojibwe
Preverb
bi-
- this way, here, hither (toward the speaker)
- Bi-anokiin.
- Come and work.
Related terms
References
- The Ojibwe People's Dictionary https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/bi-pv-dir
Old English
Alternative forms
- biġ-, be-
Etymology
From bī (“by, near, around”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbiː/
Prefix
bī-
Usage notes
- Occurred primarily in nouns.
Derived terms
- bīgenga (“inhabitant; observer; benefactor”)
- bīleofa (“support, sustenance, nourishment, capital”)
- bīswæc (“treachery”)
Old Saxon
Etymology 1
An unstressed form of bī, from Proto-West Germanic *bī-.
Prefix
bi-
- A productive prefix usually used to form verbs and adjectives, especially verbs with the sense “around, throughout” or makes transitive verbs from intransitive verbs, adjectives and nouns.
- bi- + brekan → bibrekan (“to break”)
- bi- + brengian → bibrengian (“to accomplish”)
- bi- + dēlian → bidēlian (“to deprive”)
- bi- + delvan → bidelvan (“to bury”)
- bi- + dempian → bidempian (“to suffocate”)
- bi- + dernian → bidernian (“to conceal, to hide”)
- bi- + dōdian → bidōdian (“to kill”)
- bi- + driogan → bidriogan (“to deceive”)
- bi- + drōragon → bidrōragon (“to bleed to death”)
- bi- + dumbilian → bidumbilian (“to make a fool”)
- bi- + *dwellian → bidwellian (“to hinder”)
- bi- + fāhan → bifāhan (“to embrace, seize”)
- bi- + fallan → bifallan (“to befall”)
- bi- + felhan → bifelhan (“to recommend, give over, confide”)
- bi- + fellian → bifellian (“to throw down”)
- bi- + findan → bifindan (“to notice, find out”)
- bi- + gangan → bigān, bigangan (“to celebrate”)
- bi- + gehan → bigehan (“to dare, confess”)
Derived terms
Descendants
Etymology 2
From bī (“by, near, around”).
Prefix
bī-
Derived terms
- bīgengio (“inhabitant”)
Polish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -i
- Syllabification: bi
Derived terms
Further reading
- bi- in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Derived terms
Spanish
Alternative forms
- bis-, biz-
Further reading
- “bi-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Swedish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/, [ˈb̥i]
Prefix
bi-
Derived terms
References
Tooro
Alternative forms
- (before vowels) by-
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *bí-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /βi-/
Prefix
bi-
See also
Class | Person | Independent | Possessive | Subject concord | Object concord | Combined forms | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
na | ni | ||||||
Class 1 | First | nyowe, nye | -ange | n- | -n- | nanyowe, nanye | ninyowe, ninye |
Second | iwe | -awe | o- | -ku- | naiwe | niiwe | |
Third | uwe | -e | a- | -mu- | nawe | nuwe | |
Class 2 | First | itwe | -aitu | tu- | -tu- | naitwe | niitwe |
Second | inywe | -anyu | mu- | -ba- | nainywe | niinywe | |
Third | abo | -abo | ba- | -ba- | nabo | nubo | |
Class 3 | gwo | -agwo | gu- | -gu- | nagwo | nugwo | |
Class 4 | yo | -ayo | e- | -gi- | nayo | niyo | |
Class 5 | lyo | -alyo | li- | -li- | nalyo | niryo | |
Class 6 | go | -ago | ga- | -ga- | nago | nugo | |
Class 7 | kyo | -akyo | ki- | -ki- | nakyo | nikyo | |
Class 8 | byo | -abyo | bi- | -bi- | nabyo | nibyo | |
Class 9 | yo | -ayo | e- | -gi- | nayo | niyo | |
Class 10 | zo | -azo | zi- | -zi- | nazo | nizo | |
Class 11 | rwo | -arwo | ru- | -ru- | narwo | nurwo | |
Class 12 | ko | -ako | ka- | -ka- | nako | nuko | |
Class 13 | two | -atwo | tu- | -tu- | natwo | nutwo | |
Class 14 | bwo | -abwo | bu- | -bu- | nabwo | nubwo | |
Class 15 | kwo | -akwo | ku- | -ku- | nakwo | nukwo | |
Class 16 | ho | -aho | ha- | -ha- | naho | nuho | |
Class 17 | (kwo) | N/A | ha- (...-yo) |
-ha- | N/A | nukwo | |
Class 18 | (mwo) | -amwo | ha- (...-mu) |
-ha- | N/A | numwo | |
Reflexive | -enyini, -onyini | — | -e- | — |