bi-
English
    
    Alternative forms
    
- bin- (before some vowel-initial roots)
Etymology
    
| PIE word | 
|---|
| *dwóh₁ | 
Borrowed from Latin bi-, from Proto-Italic *dwi-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwi-. Doublet of twi-
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
    
| 
 | 
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
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
    
Further reading
    
- “bi-” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.
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. | ||
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]
- (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
    
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
    
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-