bi-
EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
- bin- (before some vowel-initial roots)
EtymologyEdit
PIE word |
---|
*dwóh₁ |
Borrowed from Latin bi-, from Proto-Italic *dwi-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwi-. Doublet of twi-
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
Previous: | uni- |
---|---|
Next: | tri- |
bi-
Usage notesEdit
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”.
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
- 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
TranslationsEdit
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AnagramsEdit
AzerbaijaniEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
- (rarely productive) -less, un-, in-.
- Synonym: -siz
Derived termsEdit
CatalanEdit
EtymologyEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “bi-” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “bi-”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
- “bi-” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
CzechEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Related termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- bi- in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
DanishEdit
PronunciationEdit
Etymology 1Edit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Etymology 2Edit
PrefixEdit
bi-
See alsoEdit
FinnishEdit
EtymologyEdit
Internationalism (see English bi-), ultimately from Latin bis.
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
GalicianEdit
EtymologyEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
SynonymsEdit
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “bi-” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.
GermanEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
Audio (file)
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
GothicEdit
RomanizationEdit
bi-
- Romanization of 𐌱𐌹-
IdoEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
IndonesianEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Dutch bi-, from Latin bi-.
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “bi-” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.
IrishEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
- Alternative form of bith-, used before a slender T.
MutationEdit
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 readingEdit
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “bit-”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
ItalianEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
LatinEdit
EtymologyEdit
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].
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “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
Middle EnglishEdit
Etymology 1Edit
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.
Alternative formsEdit
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
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 termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “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.
Etymology 2Edit
PrefixEdit
bi-
- Alternative form of by-
Edit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Usage notesEdit
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).
Related termsEdit
See alsoEdit
Northern KurdishEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
- forms the affirmative subjunctive mood of verbs.
Norwegian BokmålEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “bi-” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian NynorskEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- “bi-” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
OjibweEdit
PreverbEdit
bi-
- this way, here, hither (toward the speaker)
- Bi-anokiin.
- Come and work.
Related termsEdit
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- The Ojibwe People's Dictionary https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/bi-pv-dir
Old EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
From bī (“by, near, around”).
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bī-
Usage notesEdit
- Occurred primarily in nouns.
Derived termsEdit
- bīgenga (“inhabitant; observer; benefactor”)
- bīleofa (“support, sustenance, nourishment, capital”)
- bīswæc (“treachery”)
DescendantsEdit
Old SaxonEdit
Etymology 1Edit
An unstressed form of bī, from Proto-West Germanic *bī-.
PrefixEdit
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 termsEdit
DescendantsEdit
Etymology 2Edit
From bī (“by, near, around”).
PrefixEdit
bī-
Derived termsEdit
- bīgengio (“inhabitant”)
PolishEdit
EtymologyEdit
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
PortugueseEdit
EtymologyEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
- bi- (two-)
Derived termsEdit
SpanishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “bi-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
SwedishEdit
PronunciationEdit
PrefixEdit
bi-
- by-, next to, near, by the side, aside; same as English by- and German bei-; see also the rare preposition bi
- bi-, two, dual; from Latin bis (“twice”)