Word with “Bi-” prefix that no longer mean “two” (torrent to one person)

Is there any other word English which uses the prefix bi?

I am specifically looking for the prefix of Latin origin meaning two. If we used the word bicycle ( bi + bicycle ) to refer to a vehicle with one or three wheels, that would be an example of what I’m looking for. Do

we use bikes or electric bikes in this way?

What is the definition of good?

Asked on February 27, 2021 in Other.
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640 Answer(s)

I’ve heard the word “Bilingual” several times used to mean “Spanish- and English-speaking,” without regard to how many other languages a person may know. If I understand English and Spanish we would still recognize this as bilingual.

  • We need a bilingual secretary. And we need to find one!

  • Are you bilingual?

In both cases, English-speaking is assumed, Spanish-speaking is implied, the actual number of languages spoken is unimportant. No doubt this is more common in parts of the U.S. where there is a significant Spanish-speaking

population.

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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What is a bifurcation and what are some examples? In the mathematical sense, The change in the qualitative

or topological structure of a given family as described by bifurcation theory.

seems to allow for more general cases than dispersing in two. What is called bifurcation in theoretical applications?


As @origimbo points out in the comments, a prominent example is the pitchfork bifurcation, “where the system transitions from one fixed point to three fixed points” (as explained in an article after a discussion) What does the OP show under this question?

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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What is the word bio? This is an alternative prefix other than bi.
What are
some of
the

English words that have a prefix “bib” in the first
part

of this
title:
Bitter
Billboard
Billiards

And here’s a website with all the English words you can find that have a meaning here: https://www.thefreedictionary.com

Is

it possible to use Microsoft Word in your blog?

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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What might be a bit a stretch, but

Bivouac

a temporary encampment with few facilities as used by soldiers, mountaineers, etc verb -acs, -acking or -acked (intr) to make such an encampment

Word Origin and History for bivouac

n. As used with all the necessary military equipment and weapons in the world, it has no facilities. 1702, of French bivouac (17c.), ultimately from Swiss/Alsatian biwacht “night guard,” from bei-“double, additional ” + wacht “guard” (see wait (v.)). It is generally possible to define an army that stayed up on night watch as being “outdoor camp”. Original meaning is 1853. What was a common word and no origin before the Napoleonic Wars? Is Italian bivacco another word from French cuisine? As a verb, 1809, “to post troops in the night;” meaning “camp out of doors” is from 1814

I don’t think it was ever used in double sense in English though.

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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Another potential contender can be bipolar

bipolar (of

  • psychiatric illness) characterized by both manic and depressive episodes. Or manic ones only.

  • What does it mean to have bipolar disorder?

Source: ODO

From Royal College of Psychiatrists :

Bipolar I
If you have had at least one high or manic episode, which has lasted longer than one week. You may only have manic episodes although most people with Bipolar I also have periods of depression. Untreated, a manic episode will generally last from 3 to 6 months. Depressive episodes last rather longer – 6 to 12 months without treatment.

How would you describe the process people use to learn from each other?

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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One is biscuit / biscotti, which literally means “Twice cooked”. What origins are there in Middle English: from French bescuit, based on

Latin bis ‘twice’ + coctus,

past

participle of coquere ‘to cook’ (so named because originally biscuits were cooked in a twofold process: first baked and dried out in a slow oven so that they would keep)

What is the role of a poet in a debate?

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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What is a bifurcation and what are some examples? In the mathematical sense, The change in the qualitative

or topological structure of a given family as described by bifurcation theory.

seems to allow for more general cases than dispersing in two. What is called bifurcation in theoretical applications?


As @origimbo points out in the comments, a prominent example is the pitchfork bifurcation, “where the system transitions from one fixed point to three fixed points” (as explained in an article after a discussion) What does the OP show under this question?

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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I think bipartisan has more than enough political clout to meet the OP’s requirements.

Please note this is an American audience. Will the name “bicapartist” still be changed to “bicapartite”? When someone says bipartisan with “bipartisan” it means not consciously counting/enumerating all parties. If there was a new political option that enjoyed strong support between two political parties, would we say it has a third party? Would any English based and/or other minority/social class person, from a multi-party country

comment on their situation?

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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Balance is another common word that can be easily missed as the old prefix -bi is no longer discernible in the word. English borrowed it from French balance in the thirteenth century with the meaning “uncertainty, risk, hazard, doubt, wavering” and the meaning “weighing scales” came later. Today, it has many figurative and other senses not related to the “two”. Is it originated from Latin balx means double.

The etymology of balance from OED:

French balance (= Spanish balanza, Provenu00e7al balansa, Italian bilancia ) late Latin bilancia a pair of scales, classical Latin bilanx, bilanc-em, adjective (in libra bilanx ) ‘two scaled,’ bi- twice + lanx flat plate, scale.

Note: The French word balance might have been altered with false analogy from ballant (dangling, hanging) or ballare (to dance). The proper form is retained in the word bilan (balance-sheet) where French borrowed from Italian bilancio.

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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What might be a bit a stretch, but

Bivouac

a temporary encampment with few facilities as used by soldiers, mountaineers, etc verb -acs, -acking or -acked (intr) to make such an encampment

Word Origin and History for bivouac

n. As used with all the necessary military equipment and weapons in the world, it has no facilities. 1702, of French bivouac (17c.), ultimately from Swiss/Alsatian biwacht “night guard,” from bei-“double, additional ” + wacht “guard” (see wait (v.)). It is generally possible to define an army that stayed up on night watch as being “outdoor camp”. Original meaning is 1853. What was a common word and no origin before the Napoleonic Wars? Is Italian bivacco another word from French cuisine? As a verb, 1809, “to post troops in the night;” meaning “camp out of doors” is from 1814

I don’t think it was ever used in double sense in English though.

Answered on March 22, 2021.
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