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bis1

[bis]
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adverb
  1. twice.
  2. again (used as an enthusiastic call for the repetition of a musical performance).
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Origin of bis1

1810–20; < Italian < Latin; OL duis twice

bis2

[bis]
noun
  1. a sheer, often embroidered linen, used in the manufacture of altar cloths.
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Also bisso.

Origin of bis2

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin byssus byssus

bi

[bahy]
adjective, noun, plural bis, bi's.
  1. Slang. bisexual.
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Origin of bi

by shortening

B.I.S.

  1. Bank for International Settlements.
  2. British Information Services.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

over, repeatedly, anew, afresh, anon, encore, newly, bis, recurrently

Examples from the Web for bis

Historical Examples

  • The emblem, with the motto "Bis fracta relinquor," at p. 249.

    Notes and Queries, Number 166, January 1, 1853

    Various

  • At once to a murmur of bravos, the applause of gloved hands and a cry of Bis!

    The Monster

    Edgar Saltus

  • The word BIS denotes, in all probability, the frequency with which it was to be used daily.

  • Several of them had their coats off, their ties, and even their waistcoats; and they shouted 'bis!'

    On the Eve

    Ivan Turgenev

  • Bis (twice), and coctus (cooked), show that they were twice baked.

    Science in the Kitchen.

    Mrs. E. E. Kellogg

British Dictionary definitions for bis

bis

adverb
  1. twice; for a second time (used in musical scores to indicate a part to be repeated)
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sentence substitute
  1. encore! again!
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Word Origin

C19: via Italian from Latin, from Old Latin duis

BIS

abbreviation for
  1. Bank for International Settlements: an institution, based in Basel, Switzerland, that accepts deposits, makes loans for national central banks, and assists in offsetting speculative movements of funds between the major currencies; set up in 1930
  2. Bosnia-Herzegovina (international car registration)
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bi1

adjective, noun
  1. slang short for bisexual (def. 1), bisexual (def. 6)
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bi2

the internet domain name for
  1. Burundi
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Bi

the chemical symbol for
  1. bismuth
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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

Word Origin and History for bis

bi

adj.

1956 as a colloquial abbreviation of bisexual.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
bis in Medicine

Bi

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

Bi

  1. The symbol for bismuth.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.