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'biweekly' means both once every two weeks and twice a week. The explanation implies it only means once every two weeks. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.63|173.245.56.63]] 13:46, 11 November 2015 (UTC) | 'biweekly' means both once every two weeks and twice a week. The explanation implies it only means once every two weeks. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.63|173.245.56.63]] 13:46, 11 November 2015 (UTC) | ||
:The only thing in common there is the prefix. "bi-" means 2 and "sesqui-" means 1.5, no matter what. In the case of "biweekly", that can mean "two per week" or "every two weeks," and that's because "weekly" can take either meaning. The same applies to "monthly" for "bimonthly." | :The only thing in common there is the prefix. "bi-" means 2 and "sesqui-" means 1.5, no matter what. In the case of "biweekly", that can mean "two per week" or "every two weeks," and that's because "weekly" can take either meaning. The same applies to "monthly" for "bimonthly." | ||
− | :''Annual,'' however, is different. "Biannual" only means "two per year." That's it. It doesn't mean "every two years," because that's a different word: 'biennial'. In other words, the "annual" root means "once a year", and the "-ennial" suffix means "once every X years". | + | :''Annual,'' however, is different. "Biannual" only means "two per year." That's it. It doesn't mean "every two years," because that's a different word: 'biennial'. In other words, the "annual" root means "once a year", and the "-ennial" suffix means "once every X years". The reason for this is that "annual" and "-ennial" were derived from Latin words that already had the distinction, while "weekly" and "monthly" were created from English words, with no way to distinguish the two meanings. |
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:Confusing? Blame the Romans. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.84|108.162.246.84]] 23:38, 11 November 2015 (UTC) | :Confusing? Blame the Romans. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.84|108.162.246.84]] 23:38, 11 November 2015 (UTC) | ||
::I agree with you; however, Merriam-Webster does not. The dictionary definition for "biannual" lists both "twice a year" and "every two years", listing "biennial" as a synonym. This is the problem with descriptive languages: if enough idiots use a word wrong, it becomes right.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.56.221|162.158.56.221]] 00:14, 12 November 2015 (UTC) | ::I agree with you; however, Merriam-Webster does not. The dictionary definition for "biannual" lists both "twice a year" and "every two years", listing "biennial" as a synonym. This is the problem with descriptive languages: if enough idiots use a word wrong, it becomes right.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.56.221|162.158.56.221]] 00:14, 12 November 2015 (UTC) |