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• bis
  bis

  adverb

  twice.
• B.I.S.
  B.I.S.

  abbreviation

  Bank for International Settlements.
• BIS
  BIS

  abbreviation

  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

bis

¹ American  

[bis] / bɪs /

adverb

1. twice.

2. again (used as an enthusiastic call for the repetition of a musical performance).

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bis ² American  

[bis] / bɪs /

noun

1. a sheer, often embroidered linen, used in the manufacture of altar cloths.

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B.I.S. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Bank for International Settlements.

2. British Information Services.

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BIS ¹ British  

abbreviation

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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bis ² British  

/ bɪs /

adverb

1. twice; for a second time (used in musical scores to indicate a part to be repeated)

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1. encore! again!

Etymology

Origin of bis¹

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

Origin of bis²

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin byssus byssus

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bis B.I.S. BIS

“This lexicon gives a humorous and precise overview of the most important words and phrases of politically correct newspeak,” the back cover of Klaus Rainer Röhl’s Politisch Korrekt von A bis Z from 1995 promises.

From Slate ● Jan. 5, 2025

Messina Denaro, who had expensive tastes in clothes and cars, will be subject to the "41 bis" rules, a strict isolation regime designed to try to prevent suspects from running criminal groups from behind bars.

From Reuters ● Jan. 18, 2023

For him, there is only the Zarathustran heroism of clawing from null bis eins, of escaping the herdlike mentality of das Mann for the freedom of the Übermensch.

From New York Times ● Jul. 22, 2016

So, there was no bis, as the Italians call it, no repeat.

From The Guardian ● May 31, 2016

“You were far better to come,” he urged, struggling into the habergeon like a footballer putting on bis jersey.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

“It was an ‘all of the above’ strategy,” Wolf, the former B.I.S. official, says.

From New York Times ● Jul. 12, 2023

In 1976, Mr. Lamfalussy, who had continued to teach, became an economist at the Bank for International Settlements, or B.I.S., a clearinghouse for central banks, in Basel, Switzerland.

From New York Times ● May 11, 2015

The B.I.S., located in Basel, Switzerland, serves as a clearinghouse for the world’s central banks.

From New York Times ● Sep. 5, 2010

Last week, as moneymen from 50 countries gathered at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, B.I.S.

From Time Magazine Archive

Periodically the B.I.S. is accused, in the House of Commons, the U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive

The BIS, a consortium for global central banks based in Switzerland, has raised the alarm early about crises in the past.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The BIS report warns that a corporate credit freeze has the potential to be as disruptive as the global financial crisis of 2008 or the dash-for-cash crisis of March 2020.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

BIS notes that “sentiment has also been a major driver of valuations” and a “post-pandemic exuberance” has generated an air of complacency among investors.”

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

The BIS said the valuations in equity markets suggest a level of “complacency” among investors about the risks they face.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

"BIS," said I, "take my seat; I'll take a trip to the French camp."

From Punchinello, Volume 2, No. 27, October 1, 1870 by Various

Related Words

• anew
• over
• repeatedly