biweekly
Meaning
Happening or appearing every two weeks or twice a week.
Every two weeks or twice a week.
A periodical published every two weeks or twice a week.
Structure
Usage
The team holds biweekly meetings to discuss project progress.
The magazine is published biweekly, on the first and fifteenth of each month.
Due to its confusing nature, it is often better to specify "fortnightly" or "semi-weekly" instead of using "biweekly".
Etymology
The word 'biweekly' is a modern English compound formed by combining a Latin numerical prefix with a native Germanic noun and suffix. The prefix 'bi-', from Latin bis ('twice'), was attached to the Old English-derived word 'week', which has Proto-Germanic origins. The adjectival/adverbial suffix '-ly', also from Old English, completes the formation. This hybrid construction logically describes something pertaining to a two-week cycle or occurring twice within a week. However, the inherent ambiguity of the Latin prefix 'bi-'—meaning both 'two' and 'twice'—is the direct source of the word's notorious dual meaning, leading to its definition as either 'every two weeks' or 'twice a week'.
Analysis
- bi: From Latin bi- meaning 'two' or 'twice'. A prefix indicating number or frequency. - week: From Old English wice, wicu, meaning 'a period of seven days'. The core noun denoting a unit of time. - ly: From Old English -līc, an adjectival and adverbial suffix meaning 'having the qualities of' or 'occurring at intervals of'.