bi

See also: Appendix:Variations of "bi"

Languages (64)

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Page categories

Translingual

Symbol

bi

(international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Bislama.

English

Etymology 1

Clipping of bisexual and biceps.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /baɪ/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -aɪ
Homophones: bye, buy, by

Adjective

bi (not comparable)

(LGBTQ, slang) Bisexual.^[1]
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bisexual

Coordinate terms: pan, mono

I'm straight, but my oldest sister is bi.
(LGBTQ, slang, uncommon) Bigender.

Translations

bisexual

Dutch: bi (nl)
Finnish: bi (fi), bisse (fi)
French: bi (fr)
German: bi (de)
Italian: bisex
Japanese: バイ (ja) (bai)
Portuguese: gilete (pt) (Brazil), bi (pt)
Spanish: bi (es)
Swedish: bi (sv)

Noun

bi (plural bis)

(LGBTQ, slang) A bisexual person.^[1]
Synonyms: bisexual; see also Thesaurus:bisexual person
- 1991 October 10, Ken Jones, “Re: Bisexual privilege? (Was Re: Tom Robinson Concert”, in soc.motss‎^[2] (Usenet):
  For some reason, I'm feeling _very_ sensitive to bi-discrimination tonight. I'm really not trying to mock the points being made here, it's just that many of the same arguments can be turned around and used to describe the discrimination that bis face.
(bodybuilding, colloquial, uncommon) A biceps muscle.
You cannot train your back without regard to your tris and bis.

Translations

bisexual person

Polish: biseks m (colloquial)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Mandarin 璧 (bì).

Alternative forms

pi (Wade–Giles)

Pronunciation

(UK, US) enPR: bē, IPA^(key): /biː/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -iː
Homophones: b, be, Bea, bee

Noun

bi (plural bi)

A type of jade disk produced in ancient China.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 A. F. Niemoeller, "A Glossary of Homosexual Slang," Fact 2, no. 1 (Jan-Feb 1965): 25

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).
Fol bi, Dritë!
Speak, therefore, Dritë!
An exclamation of surprise (to a female person).
Bi! Po ç'është kjo?
Girl! What is this?

Po ç'është kjo, bi?
What is this, girl?

Related terms

Bambara

Noun

bi

today

Basque

**Basque numbers ^(edit)**
	20
← 1	2	3 →
Cardinal: bi Ordinal: bigarren Multiplier: bikoitz Distributive: bina Collective: bikote Fractional: erdi

Alternative forms

biga, bida (Navarrese, 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.^[1]^[2] Often compared with Iberian bi (“two”).^[3]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bi/ [bi]
Audio: (file)
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

Declension of bi (numeral, ending in vowel)

		indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive		bi	bia	biak
ergative		bik	biak	biek
dative		biri	biari	biei
genitive		biren	biaren	bien
comitative		birekin	biarekin	biekin
causative		birengatik	biarengatik	biengatik
benefactive		birentzat	biarentzat	bientzat
instrumental		biz	biaz	biez
inessive	anim.	birengan	biarengan	biengan
inessive	inanim.	bitan	bian	bietan
locative	anim.	—	—	—
locative	inanim.	bitako	biko	bietako
allative	anim.	birengana	biarengana	biengana
allative	inanim.	bitara	bira	bietara
terminative	anim.	birenganaino	biarenganaino	bienganaino
terminative	inanim.	bitaraino	biraino	bietaraino
directive	anim.	birenganantz	biarenganantz	bienganantz
directive	inanim.	bitarantz	birantz	bietarantz
destinative	anim.	birenganako	biarenganako	bienganako
destinative	inanim.	bitarako	birako	bietarako
ablative	anim.	birengandik	biarengandik	biengandik
ablative	inanim.	bitatik	bitik	bietatik
partitive		birik	—	—
prolative		bitzat	—	—

Derived terms

References

^ “bi” in Etymological Dictionary of Basque by R. L. Trask, sussex.ac.uk
^ Mitxelena, Koldo L. (1961) Fonética histórica vasca (Obras completas de Luis Michelena; 1) (in Spanish), Diputación Foral de Guipuzkoa, published 1990, →ISBN, page 413
^ Orduña A., Eduardo (2011) “Los numerales ibéricos y el protovasco”, in Veleia‎^[1] (in Spanish), volume 28, pages 125–139

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

Danish Wikipedia has articles on:

bi and Bier

Wikipedia ^daWikipedia ^da

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

Declension of bi

common gender	Singular		Plural
common gender	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	bi	bien	bier	bierne
genitive	bis	biens	biers	biernes

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/
Audio: (file)
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

Noun

bi (colloquial)

bi (bisexual)

Declension

Inflection of bi (irregular)

	singular	plural
nominative	bi	bit
genitive	bin	biiden biitten
partitive	bitä	biitä
accusative	bi bin	bit
inessive	bissä	biissä
elative	bistä	biistä
illative	bihin	biihin
adessive	billä	biillä
ablative	biltä	biiltä
allative	bille	biille
essive	binä	biinä
translative	biksi	biiksi
abessive	bittä	biittä
instructive	–	biin
comitative	–	biineen

Derived terms

compounds

French

Etymology

From bisexuel, or possibly directly from English bi.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bi/
Audio: (file)
Audio (Canada): (file)

Noun

bi m or f by sense (plural bis)

bi, bisexual person

Adjective

bi (invariable)

bi, bisexual

German

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [biː]
Audio: (file)

Adjective

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bi (strong nominative masculine singular bier, not comparable)

(informal) bi

Gothic

Romanization

bi

Romanization of 𐌱𐌹

Guerrero Amuzgo

Adjective

bi

green

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

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

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
Bi us is dat ümmer Feest.
With us it's always a party.
by
Wi wahnt in en Huus bi de Meer.
I live in a house by the lake.
around, about (often in combination with üm)
Dat weer üm bi so'n twintig Johr vör.
It was about twenty years ago.

Inflection

Pronominal adverbs of bi

preposition	bi
postpositional adv.	bi
+ her (hither)	—
+ düt (this)	hierbi
+ dat (that)	dorbi
+ wat (what)	wobi
+ wat (something)	enerwegens bi
+ nix (nothing)	nargens bi
+ allens (everything)	överall bi

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

Descendants

Dutch: bij
Limburgish: bie

Adverb

bi

by, near, around

Descendants

Dutch: bij
Limburgish: bie

Middle English

Preposition

bi

Alternative form of by

Mirandese

Verb

bi

first-person singular preterite indicative of ber: I saw.
- 2011, Ana Afonso, L Princepico Chapter 1:
  Quando you tenie seis anhos, bi ua beça ua eimaige mi guapa nun lhibro subre la floresta birge que se chamaba "Stórias Bibidas".
  1948 translation by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
  Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest.

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

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)

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

Old English

Alternative forms

be

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bī (“near, by, around, about”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /biː/

Preposition

bī

about (concerning)
by, in various senses:
- 10th century, The Wanderer:
  Wōriað þā wīnsalo; · waldend liċġað
  drēame bidrorene; · duguþ eal ġecrong,
  wlonc bī wealle. · Sume wīġ fornōm,
  The wine-halls ramble; lords lie still,
  deprived of mirth; army completely perished,
  proud by the wall. The war took away some men,
1. near or next to
2. not later than
3. 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, bie, be, 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.

Preposition

bī

by, near, to
beside

Descendants

Low German: bi, by

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

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈbi/

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈbi/

Rhymes: -i

Adjective

bi (invariable)

(LGBTQ, colloquial) Abbreviation of bissexual (“sexually attracted to persons of either sex”).

Noun

bi m or f by sense (plural bis)

(LGBTQ, colloquial) Abbreviation of bissexual (“bisexual person”).

Noun

bi f (plural bis)

(Brazil, LGBTQ, slang) Abbreviation of bicha (“flammer”).

Sardinian

Etymology

From Latin ibi.

Pronoun

bi (adverbial)

there (at a place)
there, thither (to there)
Synonyms: i, nche

Scots

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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

Conjugation of bi (highly irregular)

			singular			plural
			first	second	third m/f	first	second	third
independent	present		tha mi	tha thu	tha e/i	tha sinn	tha sibh	tha iad
	past		bha mi	bha thu	bha e/i	bha sinn	bha sibh	bha iad
	future	simple	bidh mi	bidh tu	bidh e/i	bidh sinn	bidh sibh	bidh iad
	future	emphatic	bithidh mi	bithidh tu	bithidh e/i	bithidh sinn	bithidh sibh	bithidh iad
	conditional	simple	bhithinn	bhiodh tu	bhiodh e/i	bhiodh sinn bhiomaid	bhiodh sibh	bhiodh iad
	conditional	emphatic	bhithinn	bhitheadh tu	bhitheadh e/i	bhitheadh sinn bhitheamaid	bhitheadh sibh	bhitheadh iad
negative	present		chan eil mi	chan eil thu	chan eil e/i	chan eil sinn	chan eil sibh	chan eil iad
	past		cha robh mi	cha robh thu	cha robh e/i	cha robh sinn	cha robh sibh	cha robh iad
	future		cha bhi mi	cha bhi thu	cha bhi e/i	cha bhi sinn	cha bhi sibh	cha bhi iad
	conditional	simple	cha bhithinn	cha bhiodh tu	cha bhiodh e/i	cha bhiodh sinn cha bhiomaid	cha bhiodh sibh	cha bhiodh iad
	conditional	emphatic	cha bhithinn	cha bhitheadh tu	cha bhitheadh e/i	cha bhitheadh sinn cha bhitheamaid	cha bhitheadh sibh	cha bhitheadh iad
affirmative interrogative	present		a bheil mi?	a bheil thu?	a bheil e/i?	a bheil sinn?	a bheil sibh?	a bheil iad?
	past		an robh mi?	an robh thu?	an robh e/i?	an robh sinn?	an robh sibh?	an robh iad?
	future		am bi mi?	am bi thu?	am bi e/i?	am bi sinn?	am bi sibh?	am bi iad?
	conditional	simple	am bithinn?	am biodh tu?	am biodh e/i?	am biodh sinn? am biomaid?	am biodh sibh?	am biodh iad?
	conditional	emphatic	am bithinn?	am bitheadh tu?	am bitheadh e/i?	am bitheadh sinn am bitheamaid?	am bitheadh sibh?	am bitheadh iad?
negative interrogative	present		nach eil mi?	nach eil thu?	nach eil e/i?	nach eil sinn?	nach eil sibh?	nach eil iad?
	past		nach robh mi?	nach robh thu?	nach robh e/i?	nach robh sinn?	nach robh sibh?	nach robh iad?
	future		nach bi mi?	nach bi thu?	nach bi e/i?	nach bi sinn?	nach bi sibh?	nach bi iad?
	conditional	simple	nach bithinn?	nach biodh tu?	nach biodh e/i?	nach biodh sinn? nach biomaid?	nach biodh sibh?	nach biodh iad?
	conditional	emphatic	nach bithinn?	nach bitheadh tu?	nach bitheadh e/i?	nach bitheadh sinn? nach bitheamaid?	nach bitheadh sibh?	nach bitheadh iad?
relative future		simple	(a) bhios mi	(a) bhios tu	(a) bhios e/i	(a) bhios sinn	(a) bhios sibh	(a) bhios iad
relative future		emphatic	(a) bhitheas mi	(a) bhitheas tu	(a) bhitheas e/i	(a) bhitheas sinn	(a) bhitheas sibh	(a) bhitheas iad
imperative		simple	bitheam	bi	biodh e/i	biomaid	bithibh	biodh iad
imperative		emphatic	bitheam	bi	bitheadh e/i	bitheamaid	bithibh	bitheadh iad
verbal noun			a bhith

Impersonal forms can be found at thathar.

Conjugation of is (highly irregular, defective)

		singular			plural
		first	second	third m/f	first	second	third
independent	present	is mi	is tu	is e/i	is sinn	is sibh	is iad
	past	bu mhi	bu tu	b' e/i	bu sinn	bu sibh	b' iad
	conditional	bu mhi	bu tu	b' e/i	bu sinn	bu sibh	b' iad
negative	present	cha mhi	cha tu	chan e/i	cha sinn	cha sibh	chan iad
	past	cha bu mhi	cha bu tu	cha b' e/i	cha bu sinn	cha bu sibh	cha b' iad
	conditional	cha bu mhi	cha bu tu	cha b' e/i	cha bu sinn	cha bu sibh	cha b' iad
affirmative interrogative	present	am mi?	an tu?	an e/i?	an sinn?	an sibh?	an iad?
	past	am bu mhi?	am bu tu?	am b' e/i?	am bu sinn?	am bu sibh?	am b' iad?
	conditional	am bu mhi?	am bu tu?	am b' e/i?	am bu sinn?	am bu sibh?	am b' iad?
Negative interrogative	present	nach mi?	nach tu?	nach e/i?	nach sinn?	nach sibh?	nach iad?
	past	nach bu mhi?	nach bu tu?	nach b' e/i?	nach bu sinn?	nach bu sibh?	nach b' iad?
	conditional	nach bu mhi?	nach bu tu?	nach b' e/i?	nach bu sinn?	nach bu sibh?	nach b' iad?

Conjugation of thathar (highly irregular, defective, impersonal)

	Present	Past	Future	Conditional
Independent	thathar, thatar, thathas¹	bhathar, bhatar, bhathas¹	bithear, bitear, bitheas¹	bhite(adh), bhithist(e)¹
Negative	chan eilear, chan eileas¹	cha robhar, cha robhas¹	cha bithear, cha bitear, cha bitheas¹	cha bhite(adh), cha bhithist(e)¹
Affirmative interrogative	am beilear? am beileas?¹ a bheilear? a bheileas?¹	an robhar? an robhas?¹	am bithear? am biteas?¹	am bite(adh)? am bithist(e)?¹
Negative interrogative	nach eilear? nach eileas?¹	nach robhar? nach robhas?¹	nach bithear? nach bitear? nach bitheas?¹	nach bite(adh)? nach bithist(e)?¹

¹ Lewis dialect form

Related terms

beò

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
bi	bhi
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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^[7], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN

Serbo-Croatian

Verb

bi

second-person singular aorist of biti
On bi tamo jučer. (archaic)
He was there yesterday.
third-person singular aorist of biti
On bi u školi tad. (archaic)
She was at school then.
(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

Inflection

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

Spanish

Adjective

bi (invariable)

bi (bisexual)

Swazi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.

Adjective

-bí

Inflection

Adjective concord, tone H
	Modifier	Copulative
1st singular	lengimubi	ngimubi
2nd singular	lomubi	umubi
1st plural	lesibabi	sibabi
2nd plural	lenibabi	nibabi
Class 1	lomubi	mubi
Class 2	lababi	babi
Class 3	lomubi	mubi
Class 4	lemibi	mibi
Class 5	lelibi	libi
Class 6	lamabi	mabi
Class 7	lesibi	sibi
Class 8	letimbi	timbi
Class 9	lembi	imbi
Class 10	letimbi	timbi
Class 11	lolubi	lubi
Class 14	lobubi	bubi
Class 15	lokubi	kubi
Class 17	lokubi	kubi

Swedish

Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:

bi

Wikipedia ^sv

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
surrande bin
buzzing bees

Bin producerar honung
Bees produce honey

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

Declension of bi

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	bi	bis
singular	definite	biet	biets
plural	indefinite	bin	bins
plural	definite	bina	binas

Derived terms

bikupa (“beehive”)
biodlare (“beekeeper”)
biodling (“beekeeping”)
bisvärm (“swarm of bees”)
blommor och bin (“birds and bees”)

Etymology 2

Adjective

bi

(informal) bisexual
Synonym: bisexuell

Etymology 3

Adverb

bi (not comparable)

(in some fixed expressions) by
lyckan står den djärve bi
fortune favors the bold
(literally, “fortune stands by the brave”)

Related terms

stå någon bi

References

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

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

Inflected forms of -bi

Noun class	indefinite		definite
Noun class	singular	plural	singular	plural
1/2	mubi	babi	omubi	ababi
3/4	mubi	mibi	omubi	emibi
5/6	libi	mabi	eribi	amabi
7/8	kibi	bibi	ekibi	ebibi
9/10	mbi	mbi	embi	embi
11/10	rubi	mbi	orubi	embi
12/14	kabi	bubi	akabi	obubi
13		tubi		otubi
14/6	bubi	mabi	obubi	amabi
15/6	kubi	mabi	okubi	amabi
16	habi		ahabi

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)
Á! Dập bi tao rồi!
Ow! My bawlls popped!

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

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.

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.

Adjective

-bí

Inflection

Adjective concord, tone H
	Modifier		Copulative
	positive	negative	positive	negative
1st singular	endimbi	endingembi	ndimbi	andimbi
2nd singular	ombi	ongembi	umbi	awumbi
1st plural	esibabi	esingebabi	sibabi	asibabi
2nd plural	enibabi	eningebabi	nibabi	anibabi
Class 1	ombi	ongembi	mbi	akambi
Class 2	ababi	abangebabi	babi	abababi
Class 3	ombi	ongembi	mbi	awumbi
Class 4	emibi	engemibi	mibi	ayimibi
Class 5	elibi	elingelibi	libi	alilibi
Class 6	amabi	angemabi	mabi	awamabi
Class 7	esibi	esingesibi	sibi	asisibi
Class 8	ezimbi	ezingezimbi	zimbi	azizimbi
Class 9	embi	engembi	imbi	ayiyimbi
Class 10	ezimbi	ezingezimbi	zimbi	azizimbi
Class 11	olubi	olungelubi	lubi	alulubi
Class 14	obubi	obungebubi	bubi	abububi
Class 15	okubi	okungekubi	kubi	akukubi
Class 17	okubi	okungekubi	kubi	akukubi

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.

Etymology 2

Conjunction

bí

(conditional) if

Derived terms

bí ẹnipé

Etymology 3

Conjunction

bí

(subordinating conjunction) how
Wọ́n kọ́ wa bí a ti lè ṣe é.
They taught us how to do it.
Alternative spelling of bíi (“like, as”)

Etymology 4

Conjunction

bí

when, as soon as
Bí a ti jáde ni wọ́n dé.
As soon as we left, they arrived.

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
Ọmọ mẹ́rin l'ó bí.
She gave birth to four children.
(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
Mo bi í nípa àwọn ọ̀rẹ́ rẹ̀.
I asked him about his friends.

Derived terms

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
Ó ti bi oúnjẹ rẹ̀.
He's thrown up his food.

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

Inflection

Adjective concord, tone H
	Modifier		Copulative
	positive	negative	positive	negative
1st singular	engimubi	engingemubi	ngimubi	angimubi
2nd singular	omubi	ongemubi	umubi	awumubi
1st plural	esibabi	esingebabi	sibabi	asibabi
2nd plural	enibabi	eningebabi	nibabi	anibabi
Class 1	omubi	ongemubi	mubi	akamubi
Class 2	ababi	abangebabi	babi	abababi
Class 3	omubi	ongemubi	mubi	awumubi
Class 4	emibi	engemibi	mibi	ayimibi
Class 5	elibi	elingelibi	libi	alilibi
Class 6	amabi	angemabi	mabi	awamabi
Class 7	esibi	esingesibi	sibi	asisibi
Class 8	ezimbi	ezingezimbi	zimbi	azizimbi
Class 9	embi	engembi, engeyimbi	imbi, yimbi	ayiyimbi
Class 10	ezimbi	ezingezimbi	zimbi	azizimbi
Class 11	olubi	olungelubi	lubi	alulubi
Class 14	obubi	obungebubi	bubi	abububi
Class 15	okubi	okungekubi	kubi	akukubi
Class 17	okubi	okungekubi	kubi	akukubi

Derived terms

[Niemoeller-1] 1.0 ^1.1 A. F. Niemoeller, "A Glossary of Homosexual Slang," Fact 2, no. 1 (Jan-Feb 1965): 25

[2] “bi” in Etymological Dictionary of Basque by R. L. Trask, sussex.ac.uk

[3] Mitxelena, Koldo L. (1961) Fonética histórica vasca (Obras completas de Luis Michelena; 1) (in Spanish), Diputación Foral de Guipuzkoa, published 1990, →ISBN, page 413

[4] Orduña A., Eduardo (2011) “Los numerales ibéricos y el protovasco”, in Veleia‎^[1] (in Spanish), volume 28, pages 125–139

[1]

[1]

[2]

[3]

	singular	plural
1st person	mǐ`	bǐ
2nd person	yǎ`	byɛ̌n
3rd person human	ndé	bɔ̌
3rd person nonhuman	nɔ̌	mɔ̌

bi

Translingual

Symbol

English

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Adjective

Translations

Noun

Translations

Derived terms

See also

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

See also

References

Anagrams

Äiwoo

Etymology

Verb

References

Albanian

Etymology

Interjection

Related terms

Bambara

Noun

See also

Basque

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Numeral

Usage notes

Declension

Derived terms

References

Further reading

Bislama

Etymology

Noun

Borôro

Verb

Bura

Pronunciation

Noun

References

Danish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Inflection

See also

Etymology 2

Adverb

Usage notes

Etymology 3

Verb

Dongxiang

Etymology

Pronunciation

Pronoun

Drung

Etymology

Verb

References

Dutch

Etymology

Pronunciation

Adjective

Finnish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

French