bi-
English
Alternative forms
- bin- (before some vowel-initial roots)
Etymology
PIE word |
---|
*dwóh₁ |
From Latin bis (“twice”) or Latin bīnus (“double”), from duis (“twice”), from duo (“two”), from proposed Proto-Indo-European *duwo or *dwóh₁ (“two”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /baɪ-/, (rare) /bɪ-/
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
Translations
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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, 2023
- “bi-” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
Czech
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈbɪ]
Related terms
- binárka
- binární
- kombajn
- kombajnér
- kombajnista
- kombi
- kombík
- kombinace
- kombinačky
- kombinát
- kombinatorika
- kombinatorický
- kombiné
- kombinéza
- kombinovat
- masokombinát
- překombinovat
- rekombinace
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
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: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic 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. |
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/
- Hyphenation: bi-
Derived terms
Latin
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-European *dwi- (“two-; twice-”), a form of *dwóh₁ (“two”) used as the earlier element of a compound; the origin in PIE of the *i here is uncertain.[1] Synchronically, the form can be interpreted as a clipping of the adverb bis (“twice”), which developed from earlier duis via the same sound change of initial /dw/ to /b/.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /bi/, [bɪ]
- (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
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
Norwegian Nynorsk
See also
Ojibwe
Preverb
bi-
- this way, here, hither (toward the speaker)
- Bi-anokiin.
- Come and work.
Related terms
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
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-