Results for biennial

On this page:

Dictionary:

biennial

(bī-ĕn'ē-əl) pronunciation

adj.

Lasting or living for two years.
Happening every second year.
Botany. Having a life cycle that normally takes two growing seasons to complete.

An event that occurs every two years.
Botany.
1. A plant that normally requires two seasons to complete its life cycle, growing usually as a rosette in the first season and producing flowers and fruits and then dying in the second season.
2. A perennial plant, such as the English daisy, cultivated as a biennial.

biennially bi·en'ni·al·ly adv.

#SearchBtn{margin-top:14px !important;}

Library

Business Dictionary: Biennial

Occurring every two years. Contrast with Biannual=occurring twice a year.

Real Estate Dictionary: Biennial

Occurring every 2 years.
Example: Abel arranges to pay premiums on a property insurance policy on a biennial basis. If the current premium is paid in 2004, the next premium is due in 2006.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: biennial

Any plant that completes its life cycle in two growing seasons. During the first growing season biennials produce roots, stems, and leaves; during the second they produce flowers, fruits, and seeds, and then die. Sugar beets and carrots are examples of biennials. See also annual, perennial.

For more information on biennial, visit Britannica.com.

Columbia Encyclopedia: biennial,

plant requiring two years to complete its life cycle, as distinguished from an annual or a perennial. In the first year a biennial usually produces a rosette of leaves (e.g., the cabbage) and a fleshy root, which acts as a food reserve over the winter. During the second year the plant produces flowers and seeds and, having exhausted its food reserve, then dies. Short-lived perennials (e.g., the hollyhock) are often treated as biennials. Some biennials will, like annuals, bloom in the same season if sown early; others reseed themselves or produce offsets, thus perpetuating the plant indefinitely so that it becomes essentially a perennial. There are very few true biennials. Many are crop plants, such as carrots and parsnips, which are harvested for their succulent roots at the end of their first growing season.

Gardener's Dictionary: biennial

A plant that requires two years to complete its life cycle. During the first growing season, the seed germinates and the plant grows but produces only foliage. During the second growing season, it flowers, sets seed, and dies. If allowed to reseed themselves, biennials can keep the garden in flowers indefinitely. Two popular biennials are foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) and, despite its species name, money plant (Lunaria annua).

Word Tutor: biennial

IN BRIEF: A plant that grows leaves and roots the first year, and flowers and fruit the second.

The turnip is a biennial cool-weather crop, grown mostly in cool climates. — Columbia Encyclopedia (sixth edition).

Tutor's tip: Did you mean "biannual" (twice a year) or "biennial" (every two years)?

Wikipedia: biennial

A biennial is an event that occurs every two years, much in the same way that a centennial occurs every hundred years. If an event occurs every two years, it can be said to occur biennially. This is commonly used in reference to legislative agendas in U.S. states (often as biennium), as many representatives are elected to two-year terms.

This word helps clarify the possible confusion between the words semiannual and biannual. These words have become synonymous, as both biannual and semiannual mean occurring twice a year.

An art exhibition held every two years is often known as a "biennial" or biennale.

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Business Dictionary. Dictionary of Business Terms. Copyright © 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Real Estate Dictionary. Dictionary of Real Estate Terms. Copyright © 2004 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
		Gardener's Dictionary. Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners, by Frances Tenenbaum. Copyright © 1997 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved. eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Biennial". Read more
		Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more

Search for answers directly from your browser with the FREE Answers.com Toolbar!
Click here to download now.

Get Answers your way! Check out all our free tools and products.

On this page: Print Link

biennial

See also

Tackle These

Keep Reading