[blackshoe]

When I was growing up, half a century or so ago, I learned that "biannual" means every 2 years, and "semi-annual" means twice a year. If "biannual" can now have either meaning, then the language has changed.

[matmat]

hehe

so if i repeat something that is incorrect long enough and often enough, it will become correct. neat.

[jdonn]

matmat, on Apr 29 2008, 10:20 PM, said:

hehe

so if i repeat something that is incorrect long enough and often enough, it will become correct. neat.

Well what is the definition of being correct? You could argue it's whatever the majority believes.

[blackshoe]

"Democracy is based on the idea that a million men are smarter than one man. How's that again? I think I missed something." -- Robert A. Heinlein, From the Notebooks of Lazarus Long

[FrancesHinden]

pclayton, on Apr 29 2008, 05:22 PM, said:

Spoiler

Biannual is every other year. Semi-annual is twice a year.

Spoiler

I always learnt that biannual is every other year and bienniel is twice a year. I corrected a document at work on that basis, and they then changed bienniel to "twice yearly". That's an international company for you...

[kenberg]

Biannual and biennial mean different things? Good grief, now that you mention it I seem to remember something like this from long ago. Who was the genius that arranged that? No wonder there is confusion.

So in 1976 we should have celebrated our Bicentannual rather than our bicentennial (I guess a centennial celebration comes every three days or so)?

[brianshark]

No, a centannual celebreation comes every 3 days or so.

[MickyB]

My instinct was that it meant twice a year, but that bimonthly meant every two months. It had never occurred to me before that this is odd. I've never heard the term "semi-annual" before.

Quote

I always learnt that biannual is every other year and bienniel is twice a year. I corrected a document at work on that basis, and they then changed bienniel to "twice yearly". That's an international company for you...

T'internet suggests that you've got the two terms the wrong way round - but don't blame me if this is wrong, I don't consider myself an authority on the subject

[FrancesHinden]

MickyB, on May 1 2008, 01:20 PM, said:

My instinct was that it meant twice a year, but that bimonthly meant every two months. It had never occurred to me before that this is odd. I've never heard the term "semi-annual" before.

Quote

I always learnt that biannual is every other year and bienniel is twice a year. I corrected a document at work on that basis, and they then changed bienniel to "twice yearly". That's an international company for you...

T'internet suggests that you've got the two terms the wrong way round - but don't blame me if this is wrong, I don't consider myself an authority on the subject

I meant the other way round.

Semi-annual is mainly used to describe interest rates (or lease rentals or similar) where payments are made twice a year. It's a standard exam trap to give you semi-annual interest rates and annual cashflows and see if you remember to convert one into the other.

[onoway]

In plants an annual is a plant which completes its life cycle within a year, a perennial keeps going for a number of years, a biennial is one which completes its life cycle in two years. I had to think twice about this...and had no clue what biAnnual was...probably if I had ever seen the word before I had automatically assumed it meant the same and was just a spelling variant..

[Winstonm]

Q: How many New Yorker's does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: Who the ***** asked you? What are you, the fuckin' lightbulb police or somethin'? I'll tell you how many - none of your fuckin' business, that's how many.

[the hog]

biannual means 2x a year. biennial is every 2 years, hence the "Venice Bienalle"