biliteral

American  

[bahy-lit-er-uhl] / ˌbaɪˈlɪt ər əl /

adjective

1. using or consisting of two letters.

2. (of Semitic roots) having two consonants.

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Other Word Forms

• biliteralism noun

Etymology

Origin of biliteral

First recorded in 1780–90; bi- ¹ + literal

Example Sentences

“I affirm the depth and strength of the biliteral relations between Egypt and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” el-Sissi tweeted after returning to Egypt early Monday.

From Washington Times • Apr. 3, 2023

Bacon’s cipher is also called the biliteral cipher, meaning that it uses two letters.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

II. geminatae Properly triliterals, but, with the 2nd or 3rd radical alike, these coalesced in many forms where no vowel intervened, and gave the word the appearance of a biliteral.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1 "Edwardes" to "Ehrenbreitstein" by Various

The typical Coptic root thus became biliteral rather than triliteral, and the verb, by means of periphrases, developed tenses of remarkable precision.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1 "Edwardes" to "Ehrenbreitstein" by Various

Consisting of two letters; as, a biliteral root of a Sanskrit verb.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah