biennial
happening every two years: biennial games.
lasting or enduring for two years: a biennial life cycle.
Botany. completing its normal term of life in two years, flowering and fruiting the second year, as beets or winter wheat.
any event occurring once in two years.
Botany. a biennial plant.
Origin of biennial
1confusables note For biennial
Other words from biennial
- bi·en·ni·al·ly, adverb
Words that may be confused with biennial
- biannual, biennial , semiannual, semiyearly (see confusables note at bi-1)
Words Nearby biennial
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use biennial in a sentence
In 1974, three-quarters of Americans belonged to a membership organization such as a veteran’s group or a social club, according to the General Social Survey, a biennial national poll.
A brutal, isolating year leads to baffling battles between good and evil | Philip Bump | February 4, 2021 | Washington PostThe former is used to select teams for international competitions like the biennial World Athletics Cross Country Championships and its race distances are determined accordingly.
Should Men and Women Race the Same Distance? | Martin Fritz Huber | January 27, 2021 | Outside OnlineSo perhaps The Style Invitational’s biennial “joint legislation” contest, Week 1419, will give them — and us — something to smile about, and an introduction to their fellow freshmen.
Style Conversational Week 1419: A smile for the Capitol? | Pat Myers | January 14, 2021 | Washington PostLiving for two years, each biennial plant forms a rosette of leaves during the first year of life, and a 3- to 8-foot tall flower stalk with yellow flowers during its second and final year of life.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter | By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life | December 1, 2020 | Popular-ScienceEfforts to elect new LGBTQ members of Congress are underscored by the recent release of the Human Rights Campaign’s biennial congressional scorecard, for which a record number of 228 members of Congress earned a perfect “100” score.
Efforts to expand, diversify LGBTQ caucus in Congress a key mission for 2020 | Chris Johnson | October 14, 2020 | Washington Blade
If anything, Finley wants the Whitney Houston biennial to inspire both the artists and the viewers.
PERFORMA—the nearly month-long biennial celebrating the multi-faceted realm of performance art—is back for its fifth installment.
Nine Must-See Events at NYC’s Premier Performance Art Festival | The Daily Beast | November 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThose are results of the biennial Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey of public opinion on foreign policy (PDF).
Unfortunately, what it shows is that contemporary art no longer suits a standard biennial.
At the biennial, only a very few artworks escape to stand on their own.
It is a biennial plant, with fleshy lobed wavy leaves that are covered with bluish bloom, and a fleshy cylindrical root.
The Sea Shore | William S. FurneauxThis is a hardy biennial, highly prized as a garnish, and as a pot-herb for flavoring soups and boiled dishes.
Soil Culture | J. H. WaldenThis is a hardy biennial vegetable, resembling a small parsnip, and as easily grown.
Soil Culture | J. H. WaldenTwo peduncles mostly come out of the upper sheath; some leaves are biennial.
I consider biennial elections as a security that the sober second thought of the people shall be law.
Through the Year With Famous Authors | Mabel Patterson
British Dictionary definitions for biennial
/ (baɪˈɛnɪəl) /
occurring every two years
lasting two years: Compare biannual
a plant, such as the carrot, that completes its life cycle within two years, developing vegetative storage parts during the first year and flowering and fruiting in its second year: Compare annual (def. 3), perennial (def. 3)
an event that takes place every two years
Derived forms of biennial
- biennially, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for biennial
[ bī-ĕn′ē-əl ]
Completing a life cycle normally in two growing seasons.
A biennial plant. In the first year, biennials normally produce a short stem, a rosette of leaves, and a fleshy root that acts as food supply. In the second season, biennials blossom, produce seed, use up their food supply, and die. Carrots, parsnips, and sugar beets are examples of biennials. Compare annual perennial.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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