*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of bi-

PIE word *dwóh₁ Borrowed from Latin bi-, from Proto-Italic *dwi-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwi-. Doublet of twi- and di-.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
prefix

Two in number. · Having or possessing two of the root word's quality. · Both: referring to two as a set. · Being different in two ways with respect to the root.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

PIE word *dwóh₁ Borrowed from Latin bi-, from Proto-Italic *dwi-, from Proto-Indo-European *dwi-. Doublet of twi- and di-.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionbi-la
  • Derivation mention*dwi-itc-pro
  • Derivation mention*dwi-ine-pro
  • Doublet mentiontwi-en
  • Doublet mentiondi-en

This page abbreviates 8 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:bi-",
        "id": "two"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"bi-\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"two\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"two\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*dwóh₁\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*dwi-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*dwi-\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"bi-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"bi-\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"two\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"bi-\" id=\"English:_two\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "langname",
      "args": {
        "1": "ine-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European"
    },
    {
      "name": "word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine",
        "3": "dwóh₁",
        "id": ""
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "PIE word",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dwóh₁"
      },
      "expansion": "PIE word\n *dwóh₁"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "bi-"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Latin bi-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "itc-pro",
        "3": "*dwi-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Italic *dwi-"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dwi-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dwi-"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "twi-",
        "3": "di-"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of twi- and di-"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "la:bi-",
        "id": "two"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*dwóh₁",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwóh₁"
    ],
    [
      "bi-",
      "bi-#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*dwi-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/dwi-"
    ],
    [
      "*dwi-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dwi-"
    ],
    [
      "twi-",
      "twi-#English"
    ],
    [
      "di-",
      "di-#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Two in number.",
        "Having or possessing two of the root word's quality.",
        "Both: referring to two as a set.",
        "Being different in two ways with respect to the root."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "aefe50e79895a7c369ae08a3620168292a524378a0c686548787f2422f669b46",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4e1be243d46620ca8920805ae872ab3390971978830029d8aceb708f5de0a29f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 179366
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 8,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
prefix

Alternative form of bio-.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "βίος",
        "t": "life"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek βίος (bíos, “life”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "βίος",
      "βίος#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of bio-."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "before-vowel",
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "7d8e1b79f3ce85e720e3d2fa6c932d7bd95e9f0116315211e547c8cd22e36553",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0b121f253097070503e67afa277c5832d0d26ffb096ecb513ac332e28ab78216",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 179367
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for bi- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Ymkt