Synonyms:bisexual; see also Thesaurus:bisexual person
See also
bi-
Etymology 2
Mandarin璧(bì)
Alternative forms
(from Wade-Giles)pi
Pronunciation
(UK, US) enPR: bē, IPA(key): /biː/
Rhymes: -iː
Homophones: b, be, Bea, bee
Noun
bi (pluralbi)
A type of jade disk produced in ancient China.
See also
Bi (jade) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Anagrams
IB, ib.
Albanian
Etymology
A short form of bijë,
from archaic bilë ("daughter, girl").
Interjection
bi
A friendly exclamation to a person (female).
An exclamation of surprise (to a female person).
Related terms
bre
brez
pra
Basque
Alternative forms
biga, bida (Upper Navarrese, Navarro-Lapurdian)
Etymology
Probably from Proto-Basque*biga(“two”), given the fact that dialectal form like biga and bida (with *-g- > -d-) are phonetically more conservative. Often compared with Iberianbi(“two”).
Pronunciation
(standard) IPA(key): /bi/
Numeral
bi
two
Usage notes
This number can appear after the noun, especially in Biscay, but, just like all other numerals apart from bat, it is much more commonly placed before the noun.
Declension
References
Further reading
“bi” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia, euskaltzaindia.eus
“bi” in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia, euskaltzaindia.eus
Azkue, Resurrección María de (1905–1906) , “bi”, in Diccionario vasco-español-francés = Dictionnaire basque-espagnol-français [Basque-Spanish-French Dictionary] (in Spanish and French), volume 1, Bilbao, page 162
Bislama
Etymology
From Englishbee.
Noun
bi
bee
Borôro
Verb
bi
to die
Bura
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [bì]
Noun
bì
bin for grain storage
References
2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.
Danish
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [ˈb̥iˀ]
Rhymes: -iː
Etymology 1
From Old Norsebý, from Proto-Germanic*bijō, from Proto-Indo-European*bʰī-.
Borrowed from Middle Low Germanbī, from Proto-Germanic*bi(“near, around”). Related to Englishby and Germanbei
Adverb
bi
by
Usage notes
Only in certain fixed phrases that are borrowed from German, like stå bi (Germanbeistehen).
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the main entry.
Verb
bi
imperative of bie
Dongxiang
Etymology
From Proto-Mongolic*bi(“I”), compare Mongolianби(bi).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [pi]
Pronoun
bi (Xiaojing spellingبی)
I (first-person singular personal pronoun)
Dutch
Etymology
Clipping of biseksueel.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /bi/
Hyphenation: bi
Rhymes: -i
Adjective
bi (invariable, comparativemeer bi, superlativemeest bi)
(colloquial) bisexual
Finnish
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈbi/, [ˈbi]
IPA(key): /ˈbiː/, [ˈbiː]
Rhymes: -i
Syllabification: bi
Noun
bi
(colloquial) bi (bisexual)
Declension
French
Etymology
From bissexuel, or possibly directly from Englishbi
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /bi/
Noun
bim or f (pluralbis)
bi, bisexual person
Adjective
bi (invariable)
bi, bisexual
Further reading
“bi” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
German
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [biː]
Adjective
bi (not comparable)
(informal)bi
Gothic
Romanization
bi
Romanization of 𐌱𐌹
Guerrero Amuzgo
Adjective
bi
green
Isthmus Zapotec
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [ˈbì]
Noun
bi
wind
Italian
Etymology
From Latinbē(the name of the letterB).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /bi/
Rhymes: -i
Hyphenation: bì
Noun
bif (invariable)
The name of the Latin-script letter B.; bee
See also
(Latin-script letter names)lettera; a, bi, ci, di, e, effe, gi, acca, i, i lunga, cappa, elle, emme, enne, o, pi, cu, erre, esse, ti, u, vu, doppia vu, ics, ipsilon, zeta
Japanese
Romanization
bi
Rōmaji transcription of び
Rōmaji transcription of ビ
Kalasha
Etymology
From Sanskritबीज(bīja), from Proto-Indo-Iranian*bíHȷ́am. Cognate with Konkaniबी(bī) and Parachibīz(“seed-corn”).
Noun
bi
a seed
semen
moth larva
Related terms
bíyak
Kaure
Noun
bi
water
References
C. L. Voorhoeve, 1975. Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, p.108
Bill Palmer, editor (2018) The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide, Padua: De Gruyter Mouton, OCLC 1050042990, page 457
Low German
Etymology
From Old Saxonbī, from Proto-Germanic*bi.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /biː/
Preposition
bi
at, with
Bi us is dat ümmer Feest.
With us it's always a party.
by
Wi wahnt in en Huus bi de Meer.
I live in a house by the lake.
around, about (often in combination with üm)
Dat weer üm bi so'n twintig Johr vör.
It was about twenty years ago.
Inflection
Adverb
bi
alongside, with
in order to adjust or improve
Mandarin
Romanization
bi
Nonstandard spelling of bī.
Nonstandard spelling of bí.
Nonstandard spelling of bǐ.
Nonstandard spelling of bì.
Usage notes
English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutchbi, from Proto-Germanic*bi.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /biː/
Preposition
bi
by, near, around
beside, alongside
at, with
among
during
by (the work of)
because of
Descendants
Dutch: bij
Limburgish: bie
Adverb
bi
by, near, around
Descendants
Dutch: bij
Limburgish: bie
Further reading
“bi (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
“bi (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “bi”, in Middelniederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN
Middle English
Etymology
From Old Englishbi, from Proto-Germanic*bi.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈbiː/
Preposition
bi
by
1407, The Testimony of William Thorpe, pages 40–41
And I seide, “Ser, in his tyme maister Ioon Wiclef was holden of ful many men the grettis clerk that thei knewen lyuynge vpon erthe. And therwith he was named, as I gesse worthili, a passing reuli man and an innocent in al his lyuynge. And herfore grete men of kunnynge and other also drowen myche to him, and comownede ofte with him. And thei sauouriden so his loore that thei wroten it bisili and enforsiden hem to rulen hem theraftir… Maister Ion Aston taughte and wroot acordingli and ful bisili, where and whanne and to whom he myghte, and he vsid it himsilf, I gesse, right perfyghtli vnto his lyues eende. Also Filip of Repintoun whilis he was a chanoun of Leycetre, Nycol Herforde, dane Geffrey of Pikeringe, monke of Biland and a maistir dyuynyte, and Ioon Purueye, and manye other whiche weren holden rightwise men and prudent, taughten and wroten bisili this forseide lore of Wiclef, and conformeden hem therto. And with alle these men I was ofte homli and I comownede with hem long tyme and fele, and so bifore alle othir men I chees wilfulli to be enformed bi hem and of hem, and speciali of Wiclef himsilf, as of the moost vertuous and goodlich wise man that I herde of owhere either knew. And herfore of Wicleef speciali and of these men I toke the lore whiche I haue taughte and purpose to lyue aftir, if God wole, to my lyues ende.”
Descendants
English: by
Scots: by, bye, bi', be, b'
Yola: bee
References
“bī (prep.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Mirandese
Verb
bi
first-person singular preterite indicative of ber: I saw.
North Frisian
Noun
bif
(Mooring) bee
Northern Kurdish
Etymology
From Proto-Iranian Proto-Iranian*pati-.
Pronunciation
Rhymes: -ɪ
Preposition
bi
by
with
Nzadi
Pronoun
bǐ
we (first-person plural pronoun)
See also
Old Dutch
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic*bi.
Preposition
bī
by, near
at, with
Descendants
Middle Dutch: bi
Dutch: bij
Limburgish: bie
Further reading
“bī”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012
Old English
Alternative forms
be
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic*bi(“near, by, around, about”), q.v.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /biː/
Preposition
bī
by, near, around, to, in, at, upon, about, with
of, from, about, touching, concerning
by, for, because of, after, through, according to, in comparison with
beside, out of
Descendants
Middle English: bi
English: by
Scots: by, bye, bi', be, b'
Yola: bee
Old High German
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic*bi, whence also Old Englishbi.
Preposition
bī
by
at
Descendants
Alsatian: bii
German: bei
Vilamovian: by
Yiddish: בײַ (bay)
Old Saxon
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic*bi, whence also Old Englishbi.
Preposition
bī
by, near, to
beside
Descendants
Low German: bi, by
Phalura
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /bi/
Particle
bi (discourse, Perso-Arabic spellingبیۡ)
also, too
else, at all
even
References
Liljegren, Henrik; Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)[3], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
Portuguese
Adjective
bi (pluralbi, comparable)
bisexual(sexually attracted to persons of either sex)
Synonym:bissexual
Noun
bim, f (pluralbis)
bisexual(bisexual person)
Synonym:bissexual
Scots
Preposition
bi
by
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology
From Old Irishbí (imperative singular of at·tá), from Proto-Celtic*buyeti, from Proto-Indo-European*bʰuH-
Verb
bi (pastbha, futurebidh, verbal nounbhith)
be, exist
Inflection
Related terms
beò
Mutation
See also
is
References
“bi” in Edward Dwelly, Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic–English Dictionary, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, 1911, →ISBN.
Serbo-Croatian
Verb
bi
second-person singular aorist of biti
third-person singular aorist of biti
(colloquial, conditional)aorist of biti; would
Usage notes
In colloquial Serbo-Croatian, bi is commonly used in place of other aorist forms when forming conditional of biti in both singular and plural if the subject is deducible from context (usually from the conjugated form of the verb). That is, bi is a shared shorthand for bih, bismo, biste and biše.
Solon
Etymology
From Proto-Tungusic*bi. Cognate with Evenkiби(bi), Manchuᠪᡳ(bi).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /bi/
Pronoun
bi
I
Southern Ndebele
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu*-bɪ́ɪ̀.
Adjective
-bí
bad
evil
ugly
Inflection
This adjective needs an inflection-table template.
Spanish
Adjective
bi (invariable)
bi(bisexual)
Swazi
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu*-bɪ́ɪ̀.
Adjective
-bí
bad
evil
ugly
Inflection
Swedish
Pronunciation
Rhymes: -iː
Etymology 1
From Old Swedishbī, bȳ, from Old Norsebý, from Proto-Germanic*bijō, from Proto-Indo-European*bʰī-.
Noun
bin
bee
Usage notes
More rare spellings of the definite forms are bit/bits (singular) and bien/biens (plural). However, the spellings in the inflection box are the most common.
Declension
See also
bålgetingc
getingc
Etymology 2
Adjective
bi
(informal) bisexual
Etymology 3
Adverb
bi (not comparable)
(in some fixed expressions) by
Related terms
stå någon bi
Tok Pisin
Etymology
From Englishbee.
Noun
bi
bee
Turkish
Numeral
bi
Contraction of bir.
Vietnamese
Etymology
Borrowed from Frenchbille.
Pronunciation
(Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɓi˧˧]
(Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɓɪj˧˧]
(Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [ʔɓɪj˧˧]
Noun
(classifiercục, hòn, viên) bi
a marble (spherical ball)
(billiards, snooker) a ball
(slang) a ball (testicle)
Derived terms
bút bi(“ball-point pen”)
bi cái(“cue ball”)
Volapük
Conjunction
bi
because
Welsh
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /biː/
Noun
bif (pluralbiau)
The name of the Latin-script letter B.
Mutation
This word cannot be mutated.
See also
(Latin-script letter names) llythyren; a, bi, ec, èch, di, èdd, e, èf, èff, èg, eng, aetsh, i/i dot, je, ce, el, èll, em, en, o, pi, ffi, ciw, er, rhi, ès, ti, èth, u/u bedol, fi, w, ecs, y, sèd(Category: cy:Latin letter names)
Xhosa
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu*-bɪ́ɪ̀.
Adjective
-bí
bad
evil
ugly
Inflection
Zaghawa
Noun
bi
water
References
Ehret, Christopher (2001) A Historical-Comparative Reconstruction of Nilo-Saharan (SUGIA, Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika: Beihefte; 12)[4], Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, →ISBN.
Zhuang
Pronunciation
(Standard Zhuang) IPA(key): /pi˨˦/
Tone numbers: bi1
Hyphenation: bi
Etymology 1
From Proto-Tai*piːᴬ(“year”). Cognate with Thaiปี(bpii), Northern Thaiᨸᩦ, Laoປີ(pī), Lüᦔᦲ(ṗii), Shanပီ(pǐi), Tai Nüaᥙᥤ(pi), Ahom𑜆𑜣(pii), Bouyeibil.
Classifier
bi (Sawndip forms𭯌or𭽨or𭙂, old orthographybi)
year
Synonym:nienz
year old
Derived terms
Etymology 2
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)