biennial

[ bahy-en-ee-uhl ]
See synonyms for biennial on Thesaurus.com
adjectiveAlso biyearly (for defs. 1, 2).
  1. happening every two years: biennial games.

  2. lasting or enduring for two years: a biennial life cycle.

  1. Botany. completing its normal term of life in two years, flowering and fruiting the second year, as beets or winter wheat.

noun
  1. any event occurring once in two years.

  2. Botany. a biennial plant.

Origin of biennial

1
First recorded in 1615–25; bienni(um) + -al1

confusables note For biennial

See bi-1.

Other words from biennial

  • bi·en·ni·al·ly, adverb

Words that may be confused with biennial

Words Nearby biennial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use biennial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for biennial

biennial

/ (baɪˈɛnɪəl) /


adjective
  1. occurring every two years

  2. lasting two years: Compare biannual

noun
  1. 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)

  2. 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

biennial

[ bī-ĕnē-əl ]


Adjective
  1. Completing a life cycle normally in two growing seasons.

Noun
  1. 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.

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