Where does “biannual” come from?

Biannual comes from English bi- combined with Latin annualis, itself formed from Latin annus meaning "year" plus the Latin suffix -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ meaning "two."

biannual (English): Occurring twice a year; semiannual; Occurring...

Definitions

  1. Occurring twice a year; semiannual; Occurring...

Ancestry of “biannual”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishbi-API; two, paired, both; half
2Latinbi-having two parts; occurring twice
3Proto-Italic*dwi-two, bi-, di

Words derived from “biannual”

Every word from Proto-Italic *dwi- →Every word from Latin bi- →Every word from English bi- →