bi

[bahy]

See more synonyms for bi on Thesaurus.com

adjective, noun, plural bis, bi's.

Slang. bisexual.

Origin of bi

by shortening

Bi

Symbol, Chemistry.

bismuth.

BI

plural BI's. built-in.
business intelligence.

bi-¹

a combining form meaning “twice,” “two,” used in the formation of compound words: bifacial; bifarious.

Compare bin-.

Origin of bi-¹

< Latin, combining form of bis; see twice

Usage note

All words except biennial referring to periods of time and prefixed by bi-¹ are potentially ambiguous. Since bi- can be taken to mean either “twice each” or “every two,” a word like biweekly can be understood as “twice each week” or “every two weeks.” To avoid confusion, it is better to use the prefix semi- to mean “twice each” ( semiannual; semimonthly; semiweekly ) or the phrase twice a or twice each ( twice a month; twice a week; twice each year ), and for the other sense to use the phrase every two ( every two months; every two weeks; every two years ).

bi-²

variant of bio-, especially before a vowel: biopsy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bi

Contemporary Examples

Yes, it would gain much-needed protection for LGBT people who can be fired simply for being gay, bi, or trans.
Why Progressives Just Woke Up and Killed ENDA
Jay Michaelson
July 9, 2014
To BE is to exist, to have actuality; a BI is a guy or girl with bisexuality.
National Scrabble Day: A Poem So You’ll Know All 101 Two-Letter Words
David Bukszpan
April 13, 2013
The newly-vernal sun beat down hot last Friday afternoon in the Palestinian West Bank village of Bi'lin.
After Victory, Palestinian Village Runs Into A Wall
Ali Gharib
April 2, 2013
Many bisexuals choose not to admit that they are bi to other gays and lesbians.
Is Bi the Last Taboo? Clive Davis Revives a Bitter Debate
Tricia Romano
February 22, 2013
Not only that, their data suggests that gay and bi men may just be happier in general.
6 New Ways to Be Happy (If You Believe the Studies)
Rachel Krantz
February 6, 2013

Historical Examples

Even a well-dressed woman is said to be bi'n gr-ye, that is, she is 'fit to go foreign.'
All Afloat
William Wood
So ye're sittin' theer, Jecholiah, all bi yersen, doin' nowt but thinkin'!
The Root of All Evil
J. S. Fletcher
Then, they found health at hum; now, they hunt for it bi travell.
Josh Billings on Ice
Henry Wheeler Shaw
Bi, not to be confounded with Bey, with which it has only a similar verbal meaning.
Travels in Central Asia
Arminius Vmbry
The Bi is, in the battle, always at the right hand of the Khan.
Travels in Central Asia
Arminius Vmbry

British Dictionary definitions for bi

bi¹

adjective, noun

slang short for bisexual (def. 1), bisexual (def. 6)

bi²

the internet domain name for

Burundi

Bi

the chemical symbol for

bismuth

bi-¹

sometimes before a vowel bin-

combining form

two; having twobifocal
occurring every two; lasting for twobiennial
on both sides, surfaces, directions, etcbilateral
occurring twice duringbiweekly
1. denoting an organic compound containing two identical cyclic hydrocarbon systemsbiphenyl
2. (rare in technical usage) indicating an acid salt of a dibasic acidsodium bicarbonate
3. (not in technical usage) equivalent of di- 1 (def. 2a)

Word Origin

from Latin, from bis twice

bi-²

combining form

a variant of bio-

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bi

adj.

1956 as a colloquial abbreviation of bisexual.

bi-

word-forming element meaning "two, twice, double, doubly, once every two," etc., from Latin bi- "twice, double," from Old Latin dvi- (cognate with Sanskrit dvi-, Greek di-, Old English twi- "twice, double"), from PIE root *dwo- "two." Nativized from 16c. Occasionally bin- before vowels; this form originated in French, not Latin, and might be partly based on or influenced by Latin bini "twofold" (see binary).