biennial

CEFRC2

/baɪˈɛn.i.əl/

noun · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    (botany) a plant having a life cycle that normally takes two seasons from germination to death to complete;.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    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.

Examples

  • Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected in biennial elections.

  • Parsnip is a biennial species, similar to carrots.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
2
Synonyms
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Lasting for two years.

  2. An event that happens every two years.

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Happening every two years.

More examples

In context

  • The famous Biennial was won by Earl of Dartrey, a light, peacocky horse, who was, perhaps, better than he looked.

  • This is a marked difference from the task force’s previous guidance, which was to start biennial mammograms by age 50.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The garden club holds a blank plant show every two years.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Borrowed from Latin bienni(um) (“two-year period”) [from bis, bi- (“twice”) + annus (“year”)] + -al (suffix forming adjectives). By surface analysis, bi- + -ennial.