bifacial

American  

[bahy-fey-shuhl] / baɪˈfeɪ ʃəl /

adjective

1. having two faces or fronts.

2. Archaeology. having the opposite surfaces alike, as some tools.

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bifacial British  

/ baɪˈfeɪʃəl /

adjective

1. having two faces or surfaces

2. botany (of leaves, etc) having upper and lower surfaces differing from each other

3. archaeol (of flints) flaked by percussion from two sides along the chopping edge

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bifacial Scientific  

/ bī-fā′shəl /

1. Flaked in such a way as to produce a cutting edge that is sharp on both sides. Used of a stone tool.

2. ◆ Bifacial tools are known as a bifaces and include such early core tools as hand axes and cleavers as well as later flake tools such as blades and spear or arrow points.

3. Compare unifacial

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Other Word Forms

• bifacially adverb

Etymology

Origin of bifacial

First recorded in 1880–85; bi- ¹ + facial

Example Sentences

The solar industry worked for the last three years to preserve the exclusion of bifacial panels from the tariff, though it had hoped for broader action that would remove the tariffs entirely.

From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2022

“The bifacial exclusion will help us greenlight projects and deploy more solar capacity across the country.”

From New York Times • Feb. 4, 2022

“This exemption will accelerate the adoption of bifacial technology in the United States, which is still in a relatively early stage.”

From Reuters • Jun. 12, 2019

The presence of two techniques, Levallois flaking and bifacial reduction—which in the outer chunks of a rock are flaked off to separate a useable core—underscore the makers' African origins.

From Scientific American • Jan. 27, 2011

“There’s no way that bifacial knife was not made by people.”

From National Geographic