bicentenary

American  

[bahy-sen-ten-uh-ree, bahy-sen-tn-er-ee, bahy-sen-tee-nuh-ree] / ˌbaɪ sɛnˈtɛn ə ri, baɪˈsɛn tnˌɛr i, ˌbaɪ sɛnˈti nə ri /

adjective

Chiefly British.

plural

bicentenaries

1. bicentennial.

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bicentenary British  

/ ˌbaɪsɛnˈtɛnɪəl, ˌbaɪsɛnˈtiːnərɪ /

adjective

1. marking a 200th anniversary

2. occurring every 200 years

3. lasting 200 years

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noun

1. a 200th anniversary

Etymology

Origin of bicentenary

First recorded in 1860–65; bi- ¹ + centenary

Example Sentences

The Lions have faced France only once before, crossing the Channel for a 1989 fixture that commemorated the bicentenary of the French Revolution.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2025

The Shelley bicentenary celebrations will be streamed free on the Keats-Shelley House YouTube channel.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2022

Quiet, sincere and more famous in his lifetime as an organist and teacher than as a composer, Franck celebrates the bicentenary of his birth this year.

From New York Times • Mar. 18, 2022

With Eliot’s bicentenary next week, it remains a mystery to those who love her best just why she will have fewer parties, presents, candles and cakes than her near contemporaries, the Brontë sisters.

From The Guardian • Nov. 16, 2019

A bicentenary exhibition of Sweet Peas was given in London in July, 1900; now there is formed a Sweet Pea Society.

From Old-Time Gardens Newly Set Forth by Earle, Alice Morse