biannual C2+ Topic:Time US /baɪˈænjuəl/ UK /baɪˈænjuəl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj occurring twice a year The society holds a biannual review of its bylaws. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · occurring twice a year semiannualsemiyearlybiyearly Word family Derived forms biannually Related forms annualbiennial Etymology AI details From Latin bi- ('two, twice') + annual, from Latin annuālis, from annus ('year'). bi- Latin annus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Time Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # biannual **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /baɪˈænjuəl/ **IPA (UK):** /baɪˈænjuəl/ ## Meanings 1. occurring twice a year ## Examples - The society holds a biannual review of its bylaws. ## Synonyms - semiannual - semiyearly - biyearly ## Derived Forms - biannually ## Related Forms - annual - biennial ## Roots and Affixes - Root: bi- - Root: annus ## Etymology From Latin bi- ('two, twice') + annual, from Latin annuālis, from annus ('year'). ## AI Etymology Biannual comes from Latin bi- ('two, twice') + annual, from Latin annuālis, from annus ('year'). The historical trail runs through bi- in Latin and annus in Latin. Morphologically, biannual is transparent: it draws on Latin bi- ('two, twice') + annual, from Latin annuālis, from annus ('year'). Used as an adjective, biannual now means "occurring twice a year", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as biannually and related forms such as annual and biennial. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English. ## Topics - Time - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown