biennial
pronunciation
How to pronounce biennial in British English:
UK [baɪˈeniəl]
How to pronounce biennial in American English:
US [baɪˈɛniəl]
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- Noun:
- 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
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- Adjective:
- occurring every second year
- having a life cycle lasting two seasons
Word Origin
- biennial (adj.)
- "lasting for two years" (1620s); "occurring every two years" (1750), from Latin biennium "two-year period," from bi- (see bi-) + annus "year" (see annual). The vowel change is "due to the Latin phonetic law according to which the unaccented and closed radical syllable of the second element of compounds, original -ă- becomes -ĕ-" [Klein]. The noun meaning "a biennial plant" is attested by 1770.
Example
- 1. The plant is biennial and bears flowers during second year of life .
- 2. The biennial nuclear security summit is a cornerstone of his broader strategy .
- 3. The nsf has just released its biennial report on global investment in science , engineering and technology .
- 4. The lack of private sector involvement in the sector was on display during november 's biennial zhuhai airshow .
- 5. America 's federal trade commission has already forced facebook to submit to a biennial external audit of its privacy policy and procedures .