bicentenary

C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˌbaɪsɛnˈtɛnəri/ UK /ˌbaɪsɛnˈtiːnəri/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a two-hundredth anniversary

The town celebrated the bicentenary of its founding.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a two-hundredth anniversary bicentennial

Word family

Related forms centenary bicentennial centennial

Etymology

From Latin bi- ('two') + centenary, from Latin centēnārius ('relating to a hundred'), from centum ('hundred').

bi- Latin centum Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# bicentenary

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌbaɪsɛnˈtɛnəri/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌbaɪsɛnˈtiːnəri/

## Meanings
1. a two-hundredth anniversary

## Examples
- The town celebrated the bicentenary of its founding.

## Synonyms
- bicentennial

## Related Forms
- centenary
- bicentennial
- centennial

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bi-
- Root: centum

## Etymology
From Latin bi- ('two') + centenary, from Latin centēnārius ('relating to a hundred'), from centum ('hundred').

## AI Etymology
Bicentenary comes from Latin bi- ('two') + centenary, from Latin centēnārius ('relating to a hundred'), from centum ('hundred'). The historical trail runs through bi- in Latin and centum in Latin. Morphologically, bicentenary is transparent: it draws on Latin bi- ('two') + centenary, from Latin centēnārius ('relating to a hundred'), from centum ('hundred'). Used as a noun and adjective, bicentenary now means "a two-hundredth anniversary", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as centenary, bicentennial, and centennial. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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