adj
Meaning 1
Happening every two years.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
biennial
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/baɪˈɛn.i.əl/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛniəl
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CMU ARPABET: B AY0 EH1 N IY0 AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Lasting for two years.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A plant that requires two years to complete its life-cycle, germinating and growing in its first year, then producing its flowers and fruit in its second year, after which it usually dies.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
An event that happens every two years.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 5
having a life cycle lasting two seasons
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a biennial life cycle
- parsnips and carrots are biennial plants often grown as annuals
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: two-year
Antonyms: annual, perennial
adjective satellite
Meaning 6
occurring every second year
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- they met at biennial conventions
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: biyearly
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
(botany) a plant having a life cycle that normally takes two seasons from germination to death to complete; flowering biennials usually bloom and fruit in the second season
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: plant, flora, plant life
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin bienni(um) (“two-year period”) [from bis, bi- (“twice”) + annus (“year”)] + -al (suffix forming adjectives). By surface analysis, bi- + -ennial.
Across languages
Translations
53 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Belarusian: двухгадо́вы (dvuxhadóvy) — happening every two years
- Bulgarian: двугоди́шен (dvugodíšen) — happening every two years
- Catalan: biennal — happening every two years
- Catalan: bianual — happening every two years
- Dutch: tweejaarlijks — happening every two years
- Finnish: joka toinen vuosi tapahtuva — happening every two years
- French: bisannuel — happening every two years
- French: biennal — happening every two years
- Galician: bienal — happening every two years
- German: biennal — happening every two years
- German: zweijährlich — happening every two years
- Irish: débhliantúil — happening every two years
- Italian: biennale — happening every two years
- Japanese: 二年ごとの (ninen goto no) — happening every two years
- Manx: daa-vleinoil — happening every two years
- Polish: codwuroczny — happening every two years
- Polish: codwuletni — happening every two years
- Portuguese: bienal — happening every two years
- Romanian: bienal — happening every two years
- Russian: двухгоди́чный (dvuxgodíčnyj) — happening every two years
- Scottish Gaelic: dà bhliadhnail — happening every two years
- Spanish: bienal — happening every two years
- Ukrainian: дворі́чний (dvoríčnyj) — happening every two years
- Ukrainian: дволі́тній (dvolítnij) — happening every two years
- Belarusian: двухгадо́вы (dvuxhadóvy) — lasting for two years
- Finnish: kaksivuotinen — lasting for two years
- French: biennal — lasting for two years
- German: biennal — lasting for two years
- German: zweijährig — lasting for two years
- Greek: διετής (dietís) — lasting for two years
- Irish: débhliantúil — lasting for two years
- Japanese: 二年間続く (ninenkan tsuzuku) — lasting for two years
- Japanese: 二年生の — lasting for two years
- Kazakh: екіжылдық (ekıjyldyq) — lasting for two years
- Manx: daa-vleinoil — lasting for two years
- Polish: dwuroczny — lasting for two years
- Polish: dwuletni — lasting for two years
- Portuguese: bienal — lasting for two years
- Romanian: bienal — lasting for two years
- Russian: двухле́тний (dvuxlétnij) — lasting for two years
- Scottish Gaelic: dà bhliadhnail — lasting for two years
- Spanish: bienal — lasting for two years
- Ukrainian: дворі́чний (dvoríčnyj) — lasting for two years
- Ukrainian: дволі́тній (dvolítnij) — lasting for two years
- Chinese Mandarin: 二年生植物 (èrniánshēng zhíwù) — plant
- French: bisannuelle — plant
- Irish: débhliantóg — plant
- Scottish Gaelic: lus dà bhliadhnail — plant
- Finnish: biennaali — event
- Italian: biennale — event
- Slovak: bienále — event
- Swedish: biennal — event
- Turkish: bienal — event
Real reading context