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bi
[ bahy ]
/ baÉȘ /
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adjective, noun, plural bis, bi's.
Slang. bisexual.
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Origin of bi
By shortening
Words nearby bi
Other definitions for bi (2 of 5)
Bi
Symbol, Chemistry.
bismuth.
Other definitions for bi (3 of 5)
Other definitions for bi (4 of 5)
bi-1
a combining form meaning âtwice,â âtwo,â used in the formation of compound words: bifacial; bifarious.
Compare bin-.
Origin of bi-
1<Latin, combining form of bis;see twice
words often confused with 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 âtwice eachâ or âevery two,â a word like biweekly can be understood as âtwice each weekâ or âevery two weeks.â To avoid confusion, it is better to use the prefix semi- to mean âtwice eachâ ( 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 ).
Other definitions for bi (5 of 5)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use bi in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for bi (1 of 5)
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
- denoting an organic compound containing two identical cyclic hydrocarbon systemsbiphenyl
- (rare in technical usage) indicating an acid salt of a dibasic acidsodium bicarbonate
- (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)
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
Scientific definitions for bi
Bi
The symbol for bismuth.
The American HeritageÂź Science Dictionary
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