biennial

C2+ Topic:Numbers & Quantity

US /baɪˈɛniəl/ UK /baɪˈɛniəl/ See IPA manual

adj noun

Meanings

1

adj
happening every two years, or lasting for two years

The biennial arts festival draws visitors from across the continent.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · happening every two years,... biyearlytwo-yearly

Opposites

annual perennial

Word family

Derived forms biennially

Related forms annual perennial biannual triennial

Etymology

From Latin biennium ('a period of two years'), from bi- ('two') + annus ('year').

bi- Latin annus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Numbers & Quantity Word Formation & Derivatives

# biennial

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** baɪˈɛniəl
**IPA (UK):** baɪˈɛniəl

## Meanings
1. happening every two years, or lasting for two years

## Examples
- The biennial arts festival draws visitors from across the continent.

## Synonyms
- biyearly
- two-yearly

## Antonyms
- annual
- perennial

## Derived Forms
- biennially

## Related Forms
- annual
- perennial
- biannual
- triennial

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

## Etymology
From Latin biennium ('a period of two years'), from bi- ('two') + annus ('year').

## AI Etymology
Biennial is an adjective and noun meaning "happening every two years, or lasting for two years". Historically, it is from Latin biennium ('a period of two years'), from bi- ('two') + annus ('year'). The visible construction is part of the etymology: biennial is not just an unanalyzed simple word. The historical chain links Latin bi- with Latin annus. Close English family members include biennially, annual, perennial, biannual, and triennial.

## Topics
- Numbers & Quantity
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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