DEFINITIONS

bi

[ bahy ]
/ baɪ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR bi ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, noun, plural bis, bi's.

Slang. bisexual.

Content related to bi

Does “Bimonthly” Mean Twice A Month Or Every Two Months?Both! Bimonthly can refer to something happening "every two months" or "twice a month." Yep, bimonthly has, fittingly enough, two meanings.
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bi erasureRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
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Words related to bi

epicene, AC-DC, androgynous, gynandrous, hermaphroditic, intersexual, monoclinous, gay, ambidextrous

Words nearby bi

bhut, bhutan, bhutanese, bhutatathata, bhutto, bi, bi sex, bi-, bi-bi reaction, bi-bivalent, bi-curious

Origin of bi

by shortening

Definition for bi (2 of 5)

Bi

Symbol, Chemistry.

bismuth.

Definition for bi (3 of 5)

BI

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

Definition for bi (4 of 5)

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 for bi-

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 ).

Definition for bi (5 of 5)

bi-2

variant of bio-, especially before a vowel: biopsy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bi

British Dictionary definitions for bi (1 of 5)

bi1
/ (baɪ) /

adjective, noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for bi (2 of 5)

bi2

the internet domain name for

Burundi

British Dictionary definitions for bi (3 of 5)

Bi

the chemical symbol for

bismuth

British Dictionary definitions for bi (4 of 5)

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 for bi-

from Latin, from bis twice

British Dictionary definitions for bi (5 of 5)

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

Medicine definitions for bi

Bi

The symbol for the elementbismuth
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for bi (1 of 2)

Bi

The symbol for bismuth.

Science definitions for bi (2 of 2)

bismuth
[ bĭz′məth ]

Bi

A brittle, pinkish-white, crystalline metallic element that occurs in nature as a free metal and in various ores. Bismuth is the most strongly diamagnetic element and has the highest atomic number of all stable elements. It is used to make low-melting alloys for fire-safety devices. Atomic number 83; atomic weight 208.98; melting point 271.3°C; boiling point 1,560°C; specific gravity 9.747; valence 3, 5. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.