| 释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024bi /baɪ/USA pronunciation adj., n. [countable], pl.- Slang Termsbis, bi's. Slang. bisexual.
bi-,1 prefix. - bi- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "twice, two.'' This meaning is found in such words as: bicentennial, biennial, bigamy, bilateral, binoculars, bipartisan, biped, bisect, biweekly.
In some words, esp. words referring to time periods, the prefix bi- has two meanings: "twice a + ~'' and "every two + ~-s''. Thus, biannual means both "twice a year'' and "every two years.'' Be careful; check many of these words. bi-2, WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024bi (bī),USA pronunciation adj., n., pl. bis, bi's. - Slang Termsbisexual.
BI ,pl. BI's. - built-in.
Bi ,[Symbol, Chem.]- Chemistrybismuth.
bi-1 ,- a combining form meaning "twice,'' "two,'' used in the formation of compound words:bifacial; bifarious.Cf. bin-.
- Latin, combining form of bis; see twice
All words except biennial referring to periods of time and prefixed by bi-1 are potentially ambiguous. Since bi- can be taken to mean either "twice each'' or "every two,'' a word like biweekly can be understood as "twice each week'' or "every two weeks.'' To avoid confusion, it is better to use the prefix semi- to mean "twice each'' (semiannual; semimonthly; semiweekly) or the phrase twice a or twice each (twice a month; twice a week; twice each year), and for the other sense to use the phrase every two (every two months; every two weeks; every two years). bi-2 ,- var. of bio-, esp. before a vowel:biopsy.
|