English Online Dictionary. What means bi? What does bi mean?
Translingual
Symbol
bi
- (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Bislama.
See also
- Wiktionary’s coverage of Bislama terms
English
Etymology 1
Clipping of bisexual and biceps.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /baɪ/
- Rhymes: -aɪ
- Homophones: bye, buy, by
Adjective
bi (not comparable)
- (LGBTQ, slang) Bisexual.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bisexual
- Coordinate terms: pan, mono
- (LGBTQ, slang, uncommon) Bigender.
Translations
Noun
bi (plural bis)
- (LGBTQ, slang) A bisexual person.
- Synonyms: bisexual; see also Thesaurus:bisexual person
- (bodybuilding, colloquial, uncommon) A biceps muscle.
- You cannot train your back without regard to your tris and bis.
Translations
Derived terms
See also
- bi-
Etymology 2
From Mandarin 璧 (bì).
Alternative forms
- pi (Wade–Giles)
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) enPR: bē, IPA(key): /biː/
- Rhymes: -iː
- Homophones: b, be, Bea, bee
Noun
bi (plural bi)
- A type of jade disk produced in ancient China.
See also
- Bi (jade) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
References
Anagrams
- IB, ib.
Äiwoo
Etymology
From Proto-Oceanic *biti.
Verb
bi
- to bake
References
- Lackey, W.J.. & Boerger, B.H. (2021) “Reexamining the Phonological History of Oceanic's Temotu subgroup”, in Oceanic Linguistics.
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
Bambara
Noun
bi
- today
See also
- kunùn
- sini
Basque
Alternative forms
- biga, bida (Upper Navarre, Navarro-Lapurdian)
Etymology
Probably from Proto-Basque *biga (“two”), given the fact that dialectal forms like biga and bida (with *-g- > -d-) are phonetically more conservative. Often compared with Iberian bi (“two”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/ [bi]
- Rhymes: -i
- Hyphenation: 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
Derived terms
References
Further reading
- “bi”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005
- “bi”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
- Azkue, Resurrección María de (1905–1906) “bi”, in Diccionario vasco-español-francés = Dictionnaire basque-espagnol-français [Basque-Spanish-French Dictionary], volume 1 (overall work in Spanish and French), Bilbao, page 162
Bislama
Etymology
From English bee.
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 Norse bý, from Proto-Germanic *bijō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰey-. Cognate with English bee.
Noun
bi c (singular definite bien, plural indefinite bier)
- bee
Inflection
See also
- hveps c
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Middle Low German bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near, around”). Related to English by and German bei.
Adverb
bi
- by
Usage notes
- Only in certain fixed phrases that are borrowed from German, like stå bi (German beistehen).
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
bi
- imperative of bie
Dongxiang
Etymology
From Proto-Mongolic *bi (“I”). Compare Mongolian би (bi).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pi/
Pronoun
bi (Xiaojing spelling بی)
- I (first-person singular personal pronoun)
Drung
Etymology
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-bəj-n/k.
Verb
bi
- to give
References
- Ross Perlin (2019) A Grammar of Trung[3], Santa Barbara: University of California
Dutch
Etymology
Clipping of biseksueel.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/
- Hyphenation: bi
- Rhymes: -i
Adjective
bi (invariable, comparative meer bi, superlative meest bi)
- (colloquial) bisexual
Finnish
Etymology
From English bi.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbi/, [ˈbi]
- IPA(key): /ˈbiː/, [ˈbiː]
- Rhymes: -i
- Syllabification(key): bi
- Hyphenation(key): bi
Noun
bi (colloquial)
- bi (bisexual)
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
- “bi”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish][4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02
French
Etymology
From bisexuel, or possibly directly from English bi.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/
Noun
bi m or f by sense (plural bis)
- bi, bisexual person
Adjective
bi (invariable)
- bi, bisexual
Further reading
- “bi”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
German
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [biː]
Adjective
bi (strong nominative masculine singular bier, not comparable)
- (informal) bi
Gothic
Romanization
bi
- Romanization of 𐌱𐌹
Guerrero Amuzgo
Adjective
bi
- green
Iberian
Etymology
Connected to Proto-Basque *biga (“two”), compare Basque bi.
Numeral
bi
- two
References
- Villamor, Fernando (2020) A basic dictionary and grammar of the Iberian language
Isthmus Zapotec
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈbì]
Noun
bi
- wind
Italian
Alternative forms
- be (obsolete, regional)
Etymology
From Latin bē (the name of the letter B).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈbi/
- Rhymes: -i
- Hyphenation: bì
Noun
bi f (invariable)
- The name of the Latin-script letter B/b.; bee
See also
- (Latin-script letter names) lettera; a, bi, ci, di, e, effe, gi, acca, i, gei / i lunga, cappa, elle, emme, enne, o, pi, cu, erre, esse, ti, u, vu / vi, doppia vu, ics, ipsilon / i greca, zeta
Japanese
Romanization
bi
- The hiragana syllable び (bi) or the katakana syllable ビ (bi) in Hepburn romanization.
Kalasha
Etymology
From Sanskrit बीज (bīja), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bíHȷ́am. Cognate with Konkani बी (bī) and Parachi bīz (“seed-corn”).
Noun
bi
- seed
- semen
- moth larva
Related terms
- bíyak
Kangjia
Etymology
From Proto-Mongolic *bi. Compare Mongolian би (bi) and Dongxiang bi.
Pronoun
bi
- I
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, page 457
Low German
Etymology
From Old Saxon bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biː/
Preposition
bi
- at, with
- by
- around, about (often in combination with üm)
Inflection
Adverb
bi
- alongside, with
- in order to adjust or improve
Maltese
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bɪ/
Preposition
bi
- Alternative form of b’: used before a consonant cluster
Manchu
Romanization
bi
- Romanization of ᠪᡳ
Mandarin
Romanization
bi
- Nonstandard spelling of bī.
- Nonstandard spelling of bí.
- Nonstandard spelling of bǐ.
- Nonstandard spelling of bì.
Usage notes
- Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.
Middle Dutch
Etymology
From Old Dutch bi, from Proto-West Germanic *bī.
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 Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN
Middle English
Preposition
bi
- Alternative form of by
Mirandese
Verb
bi
- first-person singular preterite indicative of ber: I saw.
Namuyi
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [bi˧]
- Hyphenation: bi
Verb
bi
- (intransitive) to go
References
- Štěpán Pavlík (2017) The Description of Namuzi Language[5], Prague: Charles University (PhD Thesis), page 50
North Frisian
Etymology
From Old Frisian bē, from Proto-West Germanic *bijā.
Noun
bi f (plural bi)
- (Mooring) bee
Northern Kurdish
Etymology
From Proto-Iranian *pati-.
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɪ
Preposition
bi
- with
- to
- by
Usage notes
- In a lot of positions, bi and di may not be read unlike ji and li. When the noun comes after the verb with these prepositions, it becomes an -e instead (eg. gote min, "said to me"; not *got bi min). Coming before nouns, they become -î (eg. nîşanî min da, "showed me"; not *nîşan bi min da).
- Unlike ji and li, which lose the schwa before any vowel; bi and di lose it only before long vowels (ie. a, ê, î).
Nzadi
Pronoun
bǐ
- we (first-person plural pronoun)
See also
Old Dutch
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *bī.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biː/
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-West Germanic *bī (“near, by, around, about”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biː/
Preposition
bī
- about (concerning)
- late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History
- late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History
- by, in various senses:
- near or next to
- not later than
- based on, according to
Descendants
- Middle English: by, be, bi
- English: by
- → Mandarin: by (bāi), BY (bāi)
- Scots: by, bye, bi', be, b'
- Yola: bee, be, bie, by
- English: by
Old High German
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi, whence also Old English bi.
Preposition
bī
- by
- at
Descendants
- Alemannic German:
- Alsatian: bii
- German: bei
- Vilamovian: by
- Yiddish: בײַ (bay)
Old Saxon
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *bī, whence also Old English bi.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biː/
Preposition
bī
- by, near, to
- beside
Descendants
- Low German: bi
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 spelling بیۡ)
- also, too
- else, at all
- even
References
- Henrik Liljegren, Naseem Haider (2011) “bi”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)[6], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN
Portuguese
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -i
Adjective
bi (invariable)
- (LGBTQ, colloquial) Clipping of bissexual (“sexually attracted to persons of either sex”).
Noun
bi m or f by sense (plural bis)
- (LGBTQ, colloquial) Clipping of bissexual (“bisexual person”).
Noun
bi f (plural bis)
- (Brazil, LGBTQ, slang) Clipping of bicha (“flamer”).
Sardinian
Etymology
From Latin ibi.
Pronoun
bi (adverbial)
- there (at a place)
- there, thither (to there)
- Synonyms: i, nche
Scots
Preposition
bi
- by
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology
From Old Irish bí. Cognate with Irish bí and Manx bee.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pi/, lengthened to /piː/ when emphatic.
- Hyphenation: bi
Verb
bi (past bha, future bidh, verbal noun bhith)
- (copulative) to be
- (intransitive) to exist
- (auxiliary) Used with air to form various tenses with perfect meaning
Inflection
Related terms
- beò
Mutation
References
- Colin Mark (2003) “bi”, in The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 75
- Edward Dwelly (1911) “bi”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary][7], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
Serbo-Croatian
Verb
bi
- second-person singular aorist of biti
- third-person singular aorist of biti
- (colloquial, conditional) aorist of biti; would
- Ja bi također išao da mogu. ― I would go as well if I could.
- Je li bi htio ići s nama? ― Would you like to go with us?
- Ivana bi htjela ići s nama. ― Ivana would like to go with us.
- Mi/Oni bi voljeli jednog dana posjetiti Japan. ― We/They would like to visit Japan one day.
- Voljeli bi jednog dana posjetiti Japan. ― We/They would like to visit Japan one day.
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 Evenki би (bi) and Manchu ᠪᡳ (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
- IPA(key): /biː/
- Rhymes: -iː
Etymology 1
From Old Swedish bī, bȳ, from Old Norse bý, from Proto-Germanic *bijō, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰī-.
Noun
bi n
- 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.
- See the usage notes for geting (“wasp”) for a note on bee stings.
Declension
Derived terms
- bikupa (“beehive”)
- biodlare (“beekeeper”)
- biodling (“beekeeping”)
- bisvärm (“swarm of bees”)
- blommor och bin (“birds and bees”)
See also
- bålgeting c
- geting c (“wasp”)
- humla c (“bumblebee”)
Etymology 2
Adjective
bi
- (informal) bisexual
- Synonym: bisexuell
See also
- hetero
- homo
Etymology 3
Adverb
bi (not comparable)
- (in some fixed expressions) by
Related terms
- stå någon bi
References
- bi in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- bi in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- bi in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
- Svensk MeSH
Tagalog
Etymology
Borrowed from English bee, the English name of the letter B/b. Ultimately from Latin bē. Doublet of be.
Pronunciation
- (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /bi/ [bɪ]
- Rhymes: -i
- Syllabification: bi
Noun
bi (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜒ)
- the name of the Latin-script letter B/b, in the Filipino alphabet
- Synonyms: (in the Abakada alphabet) ba, (in the Abecedario) be
See also
- (Latin-script letter names) titik; ey, bi, si, di, i, ef, dyi, eyts, ay, dyey, key, el, em, en, enye, en dyi, o, pi, kyu, ar, es, ti, yu, vi, dobolyu, eks, way, zi
Further reading
- “bi”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
Teke-Tyee
Noun
bi (plural mabi)
- egg
Tok Pisin
Etymology
From English bee.
Noun
bi
- bee
Tooro
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /βi/
Adjective
-bi (declinable)
- bad
- Antonym: -rungi
- hideous, ugly
- Synonym: -rofu (“dirty, ugly”)
- Antonyms: -ecumi (“clean, pretty”), -rungi (“pretty”)
Declension
Derived terms
- kubi (“badly, in a bad way”)
Related terms
- -biiha (“to become bad; to be ugly; to deceive”)
References
- Kaji, Shigeki (2007) A Rutooro Vocabulary[8], Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, page 377
Turkish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/
Adjective
bi
- Alternative spelling of bi'
Adverb
bi
- Alternative spelling of bi'
Numeral
bi
- Alternative spelling of bi'
Vietnamese
Pronunciation
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [ʔɓi˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [ʔɓɪj˧˧]
- (Saigon) IPA(key): [ʔɓɪj˧˧]
Etymology 1
Borrowed from French bille (“marble, ball”).
Noun
(classifier cục, hòn, viên) bi
- a marble (spherical ball)
- bắn bi ― to shoot marbles
- (billiards, snooker) a ball
- bi cái ― a cue ball
- (slang) a ball (testicle)
See also
Etymology 2
Probably from French bille (“tree log, trunk”).
Noun
(classifier cái) bi
- big concrete sewer
- (by extension) a type of water tank made from concrete
Etymology 3
Romanization
bi
- Sino-Vietnamese reading of 悲
See also
Volapük
Conjunction
bi
- because
Welsh
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /biː/
- Rhymes: -iː
Noun
bi f (plural biau)
- The name of the Latin-script letter B/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 / u gwpan, fi, w, ecs, y, sèd
Xhosa
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.
Adjective
-bí
- bad
- evil
- ugly
Inflection
Yoruba
Pronunciation
- (high-tone): IPA(key): /bí/
- (mid-tone): IPA(key): /bī/
- (low-tone): IPA(key): /bì/
Etymology 1
Noun
bí
- The name of the Latin-script letter B/b.
See also
- (Latin-script letter names) lẹ́tà; á, bí, dí, é, ẹ́, fí, gí, gbì, hí, í, jí, kí, lí, mí, ní, ó, ọ́, pí, rí, sí, ṣí, tí, ú, wí, yí
Etymology 2
Conjunction
bí
- (conditional) if
Derived terms
- bí ẹnipé
Etymology 3
Conjunction
bí
- (subordinating conjunction) how
- Alternative spelling of bíi (“like, as”)
Etymology 4
Conjunction
bí
- when, as soon as
Etymology 5
Conjunction
bí
- subordinating conjunction used solely with intensifiers such as àfi, àyàmọ̀, àyàṣe, and àdàmọ̀
Etymology 6
Particle
bí
- question marker that can be used at the end of a yes-no question
- Ẹ̀yin lọ bí? ― Did you go?
Etymology 7
Cognate with Igala bí (“to give birth to”)
Alternative forms
- bẹ́ (Ìjẹ̀bú)
Verb
bí
- (transitive) to give birth to
- (intransitive) to increase
Derived terms
Etymology 8
Verb
bí
- (with inú) to be angry
- Synonym: bínú
- Inú ń bí mi ― I'm angry
Derived terms
- bínú (“to be angry”)
Etymology 9
Likely cognate with Igala bi (“to beg for; to pray for”)
Verb
bi
- (transitive) to ask, to interrogate
Derived terms
- bi léèrè
- bèèrè
Etymology 10
Verb
bi
- (transitive) to push, to jostle
Etymology 11
Verb
bi
- (transitive) to cause one to gain an evil reward for a prior evil committed
Etymology 12
Verb
bì
- (transitive) to vomit, to throw up
- Synonyms: dà, pọ̀
Verb
bi
- Alternative form of bì (“to vomit”) used before object nouns
Derived terms
- bíbì, èbíbì, èébì, ìbì
Etymology 13
Verb
bì
- (intransitive) to sway, to push back
Zaghawa
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bi/
Noun
bi
- water
References
- Ehret, Christopher (2001) A Historical-Comparative Reconstruction of Nilo-Saharan (SUGIA, Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika: Beihefte; 12)[9], Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, →ISBN, →ISSN.
- Beria-English English-Beria Dictionary [provisional] ADESK, Iriba, Kobe Department, Chad
Zhuang
Pronunciation
- (Standard Zhuang) IPA(key): /pi˨˦/
- Tone numbers: bi1
- Hyphenation: bi
Etymology 1
From Proto-Tai *piːᴬ (“year”). Cognate with Thai ปี (bpii), Northern Thai ᨸᩦ, Lao ປີ (pī), Lü ᦔᦲ (ṗii), Shan ပီ (pǐi), Tai Nüa ᥙᥤ (pi), Phake ပီ (pī), Ahom 𑜆𑜣 (pī), Bouyei bil.
Classifier
bi (Sawndip forms 𭯌 or 𭽨 or 𭙂, 1957–1982 spelling bi)
- 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.)
Verb
bi (1957–1982 spelling bi)
- (intransitive) to swing; to sway; to rock
- (transitive) to swing; to rock; to wag
- to swing (on a swing)
Zou
Etymology
From Proto-Kuki-Chin *ɓuu, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pru(w). Cognates include Mandarin 胞 (bāo, “womb”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bǐ/
- Hyphenation: bi
Noun
bí
- nest
References
- Philip Thanglienmang (2014) “Zou Tonology”, in Indian Linguistics, volume 75, numbers 1-2, →ISSN
Zulu
Etymology
From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.
Adjective
-bí
- bad
- evil
- ugly
Inflection
Derived terms
- -bana
- isibi
- okubi
- ububi