bi

Translingual

Symbol

bi

1. (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)

1. (LGBT, slang) Bisexual.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bisexual

   Coordinate terms: pan, mono

   I'm straight, but my oldest sister is bi.

2. (LGBT, slang, uncommon) Bigender.

Translations

Noun

bi (plural bis)

1. (LGBT, slang) A bisexual person.

   Synonyms: bisexual; see also Thesaurus:bisexual person

   • 1991 October 10, Ken Jones, “Re: Bisexual privilege? (Was Re: Tom Robinson Concert”, in soc.motss‎ (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.

2. (bodybuilding, colloquial, uncommon) A biceps muscle.

   You cannot train your back without regard to your tris and bis.

Translations

Derived terms

• forced bi

See also

• bi-

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)

1. A type of jade disk produced in ancient China.

See also

• Bi (jade) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

Anagrams

• IB, ib.

Aiwoo

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *biti.

Verb

bi

1. 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

1. A friendly exclamation to a person (female).

   Fol bi, Dritë!

   Speak, therefore, Dritë!

2. 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

• bre
• brez
• pra

Bambara

Noun

bi

1. today

See also

• kunùn
• sini

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. Often compared with Iberian bi (“two”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: bi

Numeral

bi

1. 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

Derived terms

References

Further reading

• “bi” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia , euskaltzaindia.eus
• "bi" in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia , euskaltzaindia.eus
• Azkue, Resurrección María de (1905–1906) “bi”, in Diccionario vasco-español-francés = Dictionnaire basque-espagnol-français [Basque-Spanish-French Dictionary], volume 1 (overall work in Spanish and French), Bilbao, page 162

Bislama

Etymology

From English bee.

Noun

bi

1. bee

Borôro

Verb

bi

1. to die

Bura

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

bì

1. bin for grain storage

References

• 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• 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)

1. bee

Inflection

See also

• hveps c

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle Low German bī, from Proto-Germanic *bi (“near, around”). Related to English by and German bei.

Adverb

bi

1. 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

1. imperative of bie

Dongxiang

Etymology

From Proto-Mongolic *bi (“I”). Compare Mongolian би (bi).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pi/

Pronoun

bi (Xiaojing spelling بی)

1. I (first-person singular personal pronoun)

Drung

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-bəj-n/k.

Verb

bi

1. to give

References

• Ross Perlin (2019) A Grammar of Trung‎, 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)

1. (colloquial) bisexual

Finnish

Etymology

From English bi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbi/,
• IPA^(key): /ˈbiː/,
• Rhymes: -i
• Syllabification^(key): bi

Noun

bi (colloquial)

1. bi (bisexual)

Declension

Declension 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

Further reading

• “bi”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Etymology

From bissexuel, or possibly directly from English bi.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi/

• Audio

  (file)

• Audio (CAN)

  (file)

Noun

bi m or f by sense (plural bis)

1. bi, bisexual person

Adjective

bi (invariable)

1. bi, bisexual

Further reading

• “bi”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

German

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

bi (strong nominative masculine singular bier, not comparable)

1. (informal) bi

Gothic

Romanization

bi

1. Romanization of 𐌱𐌹

Guerrero Amuzgo

Adjective

bi

1. green

Isthmus Zapotec

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

bi

1. 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)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.; bee

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) lettera; a, bi, ci, di, e, effe, gi, acca, i, gei / i lunga, cappa, elle, emme, enne, o, pi, cu, erre, esse, ti, u, vu / vi, doppia vu, ics, ipsilon / i greca, zeta

Japanese

Romanization

bi

1. Rōmaji transcription of び
2. Rōmaji transcription of ビ

Kalasha

Etymology

From Sanskrit बीज (bīja), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *bíHȷ́am. Cognate with Konkani बी (bī) and Parachi bīz (“seed-corn”).

Noun

bi

1. seed
2. semen
3. moth larva

Related terms

• bíyak

Kangjia

Etymology

From Proto-Mongolic *bi. Compare Mongolian би (bi) and Dongxiang bi.

Pronoun

bi

1. I

Kaure

Noun

bi

1. 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

1. at, with

   Bi us is dat ümmer Feest.

   With us it's always a party.

2. by

   Wi wahnt in en Huus bi de Meer.

   I live in a house by the lake.

3. around, about (often in combination with üm)

   Dat weer üm bi so'n twintig Johr vör.

   It was about twenty years ago.

Inflection

Adverb

bi

1. alongside, with
2. in order to adjust or improve

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bɪ/

Preposition

bi

1. Alternative form of b’: used before a consonant cluster
2. multiplied by, times

   erbgħa b’erbgħa jiġu sittax ― four times four equals sixteen

3. multiply

   għamel erbgħa b’erbgħa ― multiply four by four

Manchu

Romanization

bi

1. Romanization of ᠪᡳ

Mandarin

Romanization

bi

1. Nonstandard spelling of bī.
2. Nonstandard spelling of bí.
3. Nonstandard spelling of bǐ.
4. 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.

Masurian

Etymology

Inherited from Old Polish by.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Syllabification: bi

Particle

bi

1. forms the conditional mood; would, would've
2. kind of; sort of

Conjunction

bi

1. (conditional) if
2. creates a subordinate clause expressing aim or purpose, one's goal; to, so that, for that, in order to
3. (comparative) as if
4. (repeated) or... or

Further reading

• Zofia Stamirowska (1987-2021) “by”, in Anna Basara, editor, Słownik gwar Ostródzkiego, Warmii i Mazur‎, volume 1, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich Wydawnictwo Polskiej Akademii Nauk, →ISBN, pages 253-254

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch bi, from Proto-West Germanic *bī.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biː/

Preposition

bi

1. by, near, around
2. beside, alongside
3. at, with
4. among
5. during
6. by (the work of)
7. because of

Descendants

• Dutch: bij
• Limburgish: bie

Adverb

bi

1. by, near, around

Descendants

• Dutch: bij
• Limburgish: bie

Further reading

• “bi (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• “bi (II)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bi”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN

Middle English

Preposition

bi

1. Alternative form of by

Mirandese

Verb

bi

1. 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):
• Hyphenation: bi

Verb

bi

1. (intransitive) to go

References

• Štěpán Pavlík (2017) The Description of Namuzi Language‎, Prague: Charles University (PhD Thesis), page 50

North Frisian

Noun

bi f

1. (Mooring) bee

Northern Kurdish

Etymology

From Proto-Iranian *pati-.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪ

Preposition

bi

1. by
2. with

Nzadi

Pronoun

bǐ

1. we (first-person plural pronoun)

See also

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *bī.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biː/

Preposition

bī

1. by, near
2. at, with

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: bi
  • Dutch: bij
  • Limburgish: bie

Further reading

• “bī”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old English

Alternative forms

• be

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biː/

Preposition

bī

1. about (concerning)
2. by, in various senses:
   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

1. by
2. 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

1. by, near, to
2. 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)

1. also, too
2. else, at all
3. even

References

• Liljegren, Henrik, Haider, Naseem (2011) Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎, Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -i

Adjective

bi (invariable)

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

Noun

bi m or f by sense (plural bis)

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

Noun

bi f (plural bis)

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

Sardinian

Etymology

From Latin ibi.

Pronoun

bi (adverbial)

1. there (at a place)
2. there, thither (to there)

   Synonyms: i, nche

Scots

Preposition

bi

1. 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)

1. (copulative) to be
2. (intransitive) to exist
3. (auxiliary) Used with air to form various tenses with perfect meaning

Inflection

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 [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN

Serbo-Croatian

Verb

bi

1. second-person singular aorist of biti

   On bi tamo jučer. (archaic)

   He was there yesterday.

2. third-person singular aorist of biti

   On bi u školi tad. (archaic)

   She was at school then.

3. (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

1. I

Southern Ndebele

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.

Adjective

-bí

1. bad
2. evil
3. ugly

Inflection

This adjective needs an inflection-table template.

Spanish

Adjective

bi (invariable)

1. bi (bisexual)

Swazi

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.

Adjective

-bí

1. bad
2. evil
3. ugly

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

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

1. bee

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.

Declension

Declension of bi
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	bi	biet	bin	bina
Genitive	bis	biets	bins	binas

Derived terms

• bikupa
• bisvärm
• blommor och bin

See also

• bålgeting c
• geting c

Etymology 2

Adjective

bi

1. (informal) bisexual

   Synonym: bisexuell

See also

• hetero
• homo

Etymology 3

Adverb

bi (not comparable)

1. (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

• bi in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• bi in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• bi in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English bee, the English name of the letter B/b. Ultimately from Latin bē. Doublet of be.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi/,
• Rhymes: -i
• Hyphenation: bi

Noun

bi (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜒ)

1. the name of the Latin-script letter B, in the Filipino alphabet.

   Synonyms: (in the Abakada alphabet) ba, (in the Abecedario) be

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) titik; ey, bi, si, di, i, ef, dyi, eyts, ay, dyey, key, el, em, en, enye, en dyi, o, pi, kyu, ar, es, ti, yu, vi, dobolyu, eks, way, zi

Further reading

• “bi”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Teke-Tyee

Noun

bi (plural mabi)

1. egg

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English bee.

Noun

bi

1. bee

Tooro

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /βi/

Adjective

-bi (declinable)

1. bad

   Antonym: -rungi

2. hideous, ugly

   Synonym: -rofu (“dirty, ugly”)

   Antonyms: -ecumi (“clean, pretty”), -rungi (“pretty”)

Declension

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, Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA), →ISBN, page 377

Turkish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi/

Adjective

bi

1. Alternative spelling of bi'

Adverb

bi

1. Alternative spelling of bi'

Numeral

bi

1. Alternative spelling of bi'

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key):
• (Huế) IPA^(key):
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key):

Etymology 1

Sino-Vietnamese word from 悲.

Adjective

bi

1. (only in compounds) sad; sorrowful

See also

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French bille.

Noun

(classifier cục, hòn, viên) bi

1. a marble (spherical ball)

   bắn bi ― to shoot marbles

2. (billiards, snooker) a ball

   bi cái ― a cue ball

3. (slang) a ball (testicle)

   Á! Dập bi tao rồi!

   Ow! My bawlls popped!

See also

Volapük

Conjunction

bi

1. because

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biː/
• Rhymes: -iː

Noun

bi f (plural biau)

1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.

Mutation

This word cannot be mutated.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) llythyren; a, bi, ec, èch, di, èdd, e, èf, èff, èg, eng, aetsh, i / i dot, je, ce, el, èll, em, en, o, pi, ffi, ciw, er, rhi, ès, ti, èth, u / u bedol / u gwpan, fi, w, ecs, y, sèd

Xhosa

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.

Adjective

-bí

1. bad
2. evil
3. ugly

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

1. The name of the Latin-script letter B.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names) lẹ́tà; á, bí, dí, é, ẹ́, fí, gí, gbì, hí, í, jí, kí, lí, mí, ní, ó, ọ́, pí, rí, sí, ṣí, tí, ú, wí, yí

Etymology 2

Conjunction

bí

1. (conditional) if

Derived terms

• bí ẹnipé

Etymology 3

Conjunction

bí

1. (subordinating conjunction) how

   Wọ́n kọ́ wa bí a ti lè ṣe é.

   They taught us how to do it.

2. Alternative spelling of bíi (“like, as”)

Etymology 4

Conjunction

bí

1. when, as soon as

   Bí a ti jáde ni wọ́n dé.

   As soon as we left, they arrived.

Etymology 5

Conjunction

bí

1. subordinating conjunction used solely with intensifiers such as àfi, àyàmọ̀, àyàṣe, and àdàmọ̀

Etymology 6

Particle

bí

1. 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

1. (transitive) to give birth to

   Ọmọ mẹ́rin l'ó bí.

   She gave birth to four children.

2. (intransitive) to increase

Derived terms

Etymology 8

Verb

bí

1. (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

1. (transitive) to ask, to interrogate

   Mo bi í nípa àwọn ọ̀rẹ́ rẹ̀.

   I asked him about his friends.

Derived terms

• bi léèrè
• bèèrè

Etymology 10

Verb

bi

1. (transitive) to push, to jostle

Etymology 11

Verb

bi

1. (transitive) to cause one to gain an evil reward for a prior evil committed

Etymology 12

Verb

bì

1. (transitive) to vomit, to throw up

   Synonyms: dà, pọ̀

Verb

bi

1. 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

1. (intransitive) to sway, to push back

Zaghawa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bi/

Noun

bi

1. water

References

• Ehret, Christopher (2001) A Historical-Comparative Reconstruction of Nilo-Saharan (SUGIA, Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika: Beihefte; 12)‎, Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, →ISBN, →ISSN.
• Beria-English English-Beria Dictionary 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)

1. year

   Synonym: nienz

2. 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)

1. (intransitive) to swing; to sway; to rock
2. (transitive) to swing; to rock; to wag
3. 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

1. nest

References

• Philip Thanglienmang (2014) “Zou Tonology”, in Indian Linguistics, volume 75, numbers 1-2, →ISSN

Zulu

Etymology

From Proto-Bantu *-bɪ́ɪ̀.

Adjective

-bí

1. bad
2. evil
3. ugly

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

• -bana
• isibi
• okubi
• ububi