Bi vs. Semi (weekly, monthly, annually) - The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation (2024)

mike says:

how can this be accurate?!?!?!:
Biweekly means once every two weeks or twice a week.
Bimonthly means once every two months or twice a month.

It seems to me that this confusion is perpetuated by “authorities” who have accepted the generally misunderstood use of the words. This definition below actually has some merit and should be taught by all:

https://www.lawlessenglish.com/english-mistakes/bi-vs-semi/

The English prefixes bi- and semi- are often mixed up by native speakers. A semi-annual reading of this lesson will help more than a bi-annual one.

Bi-

Bi- comes from the Latin meaning two. When used with a temporal word, bi- means “every two” or “every other.”

This magazine is published bi-weekly, on the 1st and 15th of the month.

Congressional elections are held biennially, on even-numbered years.

The U.S. celebrated the bicentennial of its 1776 founding in 1976.

Semi-

Semi- comes from the Latin meaning half. When used with a temporal word, semi- means “twice.”

Our semi-annual meetings are in January and July.

I get paid semi-monthly, on the 5th and 19th of each month.

The semi-weekly deliveries occur on Monday and Thursday.

The Bottom Line

The confusion between bi- and semi- occurs because both prefixes are related to the concept of two. But bi- means something that happens every other (week, month…), or every two (weeks, months…), while semi- indicates something that happens twice every (week, month) or every half (week, month).

a reader says:

The original post is wrong and has just confused any reader.

Biweekly DOES NOT MEAN twice a week. Twice a week is SEMI-WEEKLY.

BI = every two
–Bi-weekly = evey two weeks
–Bi-monthly = every two months
–Bi-yearly [Bi-annually] = every two years

Semi = half
–Semi-monthly = twice per month (roughly every two weeks in perspective to a month, meaning it is not exactly 14 days)
–Semi-yearly [Semi-annually] = twice per year (every 6 months)

greg says:

if the messenger is knowingly delivering a bad message, then i shall blame the messenger. i suppose you would write that it is OK to to place “an” in front of the word “historic” because it’s starting to become common (devolve) to make the “h” silent. (bob costas says it that way!)

That Dude says:

Don’t shoot the messenger. Mike got it right. Take his justification as a basic grammer reminder to the folks at Webster and start righting the wrong.
Having a secondary meaning for a term evolve through usage is one thing. Having a contrary meaning is simply wrong. Standard bearers are supposed to guard against that.

John says:

Putting aside the rants, the following is a contradiction and cannot be accurate, regardless of the word used:

“Biweekly means once every two weeks or twice a week.”

The same goes for Bimonthly.

If it’s “once every two weeks”, that’s equal to twice every FOUR weeks, not every week. Jane, I’m still confused. I think you should correct this post.

Candy says:

I guess the main purpose of language is clear communication – picking the shortest way of writing or saying something isn’t always the best option.
It doesn’t take a massive amount of either breath or keystrokes to use
“twice yearly” or “every two years” instead of either “semi-” or “bi-” leaving no further clarification necessary. Job done…

Fran says:

What I don’t understand is the dictionary defines ‘bi-annual’ as twice a year.

Sebastian says:

I’m not sure why the examples given equate bi-weekly and semi-monthly- they are not the same thing.

For example, most people get paid bi-weekly (that is, 26 paychecks a year) but my company pays me semi-monthly (24 paychecks a year). One isn’t better than the other, but I’m VERY aware of the difference. Personally I prefer semi-monthly paychecks; bills, rent, etc are all monthly expenses, and the bi-weekly schedule for paychecks ensure they often don’t match up with incoming expenses.

Andy says:

I like Fortnightly…only one meaning

Nick says:

I use bi-weekly and bi-monthly in the same way as bifurcate – to split in two.

Mike says:

Nick, I think you’re pointing to the source of the confusion. Many people think that since bifurcating (or bisecting) something divides it, then biweekly must mean to divide the week; but they misunderstand the derivation of the word. The reason that bifurcating something divides it is because it causes it to have two (bi-) forks (furcates) or branches. (Bisecting creates two sections). Over time this confusion has become so widespread that the words biweekly, bimonthly, etc., have lost their utility. I agree that dictionaries should seek to guard against this, but word misuse isn’t illegal, much as we might lament it.

Shall we talk about the similar state of the word “peruse” next?

Matt Emerson says:

The confusion is easy to explain if you think of it in terms of period and frequency and ambiguous association of the word parts.

Breaking down the term biweekly, for example:

bi: 2,
week: a period of one week,
ly: converts a period to a frequency, or “once per”. This is the equivalent of taking the inverse (1/X) in mathematics.

So translating to mathematics ambiguously gives:
1 / (2 * week) or 2 * (1 / week)
where what goes in or out of the parentheses isn’t clear from the word.

Back to words, these correspond to associating the parts like this:
(biweek)ly or bi(weekly)
with the the parentheses in either of two positions.

This analysis applies to all the periods (week, month, year) the same way. It also applies analogously for the “semi” prefix and for the less common “tri” prefix and other numeric multiplier prefixes.

Neither seems obviously better to me, but noting this usage: “Our semiannual meeting (without the “ly”) is held semiannually” implies to me that the whole front part of the word is the repeating period, so the first way of associating the word parts seems a little more consistent.

This would make the (semiannual)ly association the preferred one, and it would mean once every half year, or twice per year. This would also make biannual consistent with biennial, and it produces the usual association for fortnightly, for whatever that’s worth.

Someone noted that these words are not hyphenated. I could see where hyphenating them might indicate the alternate association, but of course that assumes you know what the usual association is!

Karl says:

I love Mike’s definition above. However, the example for bi-weekly given (“This magazine is published bi-weekly, on the 1st and 15th of the month.”) is I think incorrect. Because weeks are of fixed length and months are not, bi-weekly (ie. every two week) publications can’t possibly fall on the 1st and 15th of every month. Semi-monthly should have been applied in this instance. This highlights the subtle difference between the bi- and semi- prefix when applied to a temporal word. If your employer tells you that you get paid semi-monthly (ie. 1st and 15th) and you take that to mean bi-weekly and set your auto billpay for every other Friday, you’ll be bouncing checks on most months! Bi- simply means “two fixed periods added together”; semi means “happening twice in a fixed period”. Semi- can always mean bi- but bi- may not necessarily imply semi-. I love to add to the confusion.

MarkG says:

This whole thread of responses gives a debate about the evolving usage of these words. It has been politely and professionally enjoined by all of the participants, which speaks well of all of you. I especially like Matt Emerson’s discussion of how the ambiguity that seems to have arisen in these words can be represented as an ambiguity in the order of mathematical operations.

I’m not sure if anyone has established with research that the terms used to be clear and are only recently becoming confused. But that has been alluded to in the thread. So, if that is correct, then we are seeing some evolving language use at an interesting time in its development.

I’m not a linguist, but I have known a few. They study, among many language phenomena, how word meanings change over time. Because in the end, one can see that word and phrase usage is a community convention. And I believe there are some examples where those in authority positions on language usage have tried valiantly, but failed to stop an incorrect usage from arising, becoming common, and finally becoming accepted. If someone has any good examples of this, I’d love to hear of them. The only one I can quote is the use of the word “hopefully”.

So, is it too late to stop these prefixes from becoming confusing? Can the English teachers and makers of dictionaries and people who publish style manuals across the land make a campaign to assert their authority and make sure that it returns to a clear case:

bi-Xly meaning once every 2X’s
semi-Xly meaning twice every X

I can imagine a social experiment with enough interest in which they could actually win the day.

But then the problem is that people use words quickly and with only slight effort to choose correctly, so there will always be the pressure for the confusion to arise again. After a whole generation attests to the shining success of our grammarians in helping clarify the use of our entire language community, I assume the confusion would begin again to slowly creep in.

On the other hand, perhaps a concerted effort could be mounted again as often as necessary. I don’t believe that all gardens ultimately will succumb to the jungle, because they can be maintained indefinitely with a steady effort.

Sorry for the length of this post (if it gets accepted). I just couldn’t resist putting all of these thoughts down once.

Jeff says:

There is plenty of comment on the fact that the English language has evolved/devolved and it seems to be the justification for incorrect usage of words and/or prefixes. I believe that rather than teach that “both are now accepted,” we should teach that “although both are being used interchangeably, X means P and Y means Q” (not X means P and/or Q, as does Y).

If we keep accepting change based on ignorance, we’ll soon be reading books written in “leetspeak” and/or “SMS language.”

I w0u1d h8 that!

Troy says:

> If you mean every two weeks,
> you may also say, “I visit my aunt semimonthly.”

Being paid every two weeks is much different than being paid semimonthly. There will be some months where I’m paid three times in a month.

Charlie Hand says:

Here’s how I get confused. I know what weekly is (once a week). I know what bi means (2) and I know what semi means (1/2). The reason I pause is: does the prefix apply to the frequency of the events or to the period of the events? Semiweekly: Half of the frequency “once a week” is once every two weeks, whereas half the period “once a week” is twice a week. The correct answer of course is, semi refers to half the period, not half the frequency. But it cannot be deduced. It has to be memorized.

Julie says:

If I get paid semi monthly, should my pay checks be more for the months that have three paychecks in it? Right now it`s the same no matter how many weeks there is in that month and i feel like I am working a week for free.

erich says:

I don’t think words have devolved, I think people, specifically our literacy and attention to detail have devolved. Factor in an increase in cultural diversity and we have a society where a growing majority misuse words and, over time, redefine the English language. I’m 43 years old. If I tried to sell bi-weekly as twice a week (semi-weekly) when I was in elementary/middle school 30-35 years ago, I’d currently be the oldest 5th grader on the planet. At the current rate, in another 30-35 years, bi-weekly may mean a few times a week, every several weeks or anything in between. Fabulous.

Wait, I have an idea. Use semi-weekly – since it doesn’t (currently) have conflicting definitions – to convey twice a week and use bi-weekly for every two weeks(as originally intended).

Of course, to avoid ambiguity, one could go with semi-quad-weekly (twice every four weeks). Just saying.

Sallia says:

Eric and Jane have excellent points at the top of this post. You should visit your aunt more often.

Kieron says:

MarkG – I have one for you… Professional
My English teacher always used to lament its misuse.
A professional is someone who does something for reward
NOT someone who does something well (He argued)
I loved my English teacher’s passion for language.
Sorry Mr MacGregor, I let you down Sir.

Couldn’t we use Demi-weekly?

Erik says:

What is the significance of the dates beneath Jane Straus’s photo?
Did Jane Straus pass away on February 25, 2011?
If so…

Jon C. says:

In your definition of this it says these cause tremendous confusion and I was even more confused when you said that bi-monthly is every other month and twice a month. How can it be both?

Emily says:

Can I say semi-biannual to mean twice every two times a year, so four times a year?

Cindy Blackburn says:

Someone please explain this…Company A pays bi-weekly. I want to purchase health insurance through them. My options are..bi-weekly costs of $87.18 or semi-monthly of $94.45. Why is there a difference in price?

Jessaca says:

My DD brought home her 4th grade spelling with the word biannual meaning twice a year but biweekly and bimonthly as meaning every 2 weeks or months, respectively.

DJ says:

Biweekly is not the same as semi monthly. Although they are close in timeframe they don’t technically equal each other. If I get paid biweekly, I will receive 26 paychecks in a year. If I get paid semimonthly, I will get receive 24 weeks a year. Although it is a small difference, it is a difference.

Mark Harder says:

Evolution of grammar is always to be expected. Some changes are trivial (“pleaded” now instead of “pled”). Others are offensive to value systems. The increasingly frequent use of “that” as the beginning of adjectival phrases referring to people (people “who”) as objects. The usage of “that” applied to people almost always stands out from the written page, an ugly unwanted interruption in my reading, to say the least.
The confusion between bi- and semi- periodic could cause a potentially serious lapse in communication if, for example, one were to expect arrival on Thursday of an item that won’t be delivered until the week after next.

Lerato Lenka says:

How do I prepare a bimonthly schedule for a soccer tournament. I need an example in form of spreadsheed or tell me how do i go about doing the schedule

Roy says:

Bi- means two and semi- means half. An accepted mis-usage is still wrong. The prefix bi- has a fixed meaning and the prefix semi- has a fixed meaning and authorities are sometimes wrong. Bi-monthly has only one correct definition and that is every two months. The interpretation of bi-monthly as twice per month might be officially accepted but it is still wrong. Since 2 never equals 1/2, then bi-monthly can never (correctly) have the same meaning as semi-monthly.

Sue says:

Wow, I just want to commend everyone for the lively discussion. I just googled “biweekly” for the correct usage of the term and realize I could spend my whole morning studying the arguments. I have to admit I did get quite a few chuckles out of this, as well. (And yes, I do work for a living) I’m going with “every other week”, but feel compelled to define myself when using the term; which, I guess, makes no sense to use the term in the first place.

Nancy says:

Good Lord. A 6 year discussion on this subject?

It was, however, quite entertaining and a good way to waste a few minutes. Unfortunately, I’m still confused on the usage. In the email I was writing, I changed biweekly to every other week because obviously everyone has a different interpretation of the word.

I do agree with the person who posted “bi-Xly meaning once every 2X’s, and semi-Xly meaning twice every X”. Easy rule to follow and I’ve posted it at my desk for everyone to see. Until I can retrain everyone who reads my emails or speaks with me to understand the difference, though, I will not be able to use the prefix bi or semi. *sigh*

Jennifer Meacham says:

I disagree from this standpoint:

Bi means two. If the barometer is “weekly,” then bi-weekly would seem to mean you’re meeting two times or twice each week.

Semi means half, partially or incompletely. Again with a “weekly” barometer, if you’re meeting half as frequently as weekly (not MORE frequently than weekly) then you would be meeting every other week. You’re only partly meeting once a week, at every second week instead.

That being said. I can see the trouble. If Bi means two, then wouldn’t that mean two weeks are needed to create something that’s “bi-weekly”? Then semi could mean “half of a week.” Uggg. I’ll stick with “every other” or “twice a week”….

Mark says:

Why would you say biweekly for once every two weeks? Have you not heard of the word fortnightly? It removes any confusion.

Patrick Adams says:

Why CAN’T there be a definitive definition, so there is NO confusion.
if Bi means 2, than bi-weeky should mean every 2 weeks and bi-monthly should mean every 2 months
Accordingly if Semi means Half, than semi-monthly should mean twice per month.
Also, what is the word for the period of every 4 months.. tertiary?
This is like the futile discussions with people about ‘this week’ and ‘next week’, especially if you’re using these terms on a friday.
thanks, Pat

Andy says:

Would that be semi or bihourly?

James McFadyen says:

It may not work for every situation but my aide memoir helps me (in most cases):
If I were bilingual, would I be fluent in 2 languages or fluent in half a language?

Krom God of Steel says:

It seems to me that the confusion occurs because it is not clearly stated to which half of the equation the prefix refers. Given that the equation is occurrences per time period, if “bi” refers to occurrences, that is two occurrences per time period. If “bi” refers to time periods, then it is one occurrence per two time periods.

“Semi” is a bit more abstract, since it means “half”. So since the OP stated that “semi means twice a week”, we accept that it always refers to the time period, so the initial equation is 1 occurrence per half a time period, which seems more naturally expressed without any fractions, so we say two occurrences per time period.

IMHO, if we accept that “semi” will always refer to the time period, then we should be consistent and also use “bi” to always refer to the time period. So “biweekly” would always be once every two weeks.

G-man says:

It would mean your linguistic capabilities are divided between two languages.

The most accurate latin meaning of bi is being composed of two parts or units.

Bi certainly does not mean “two.”

That is the Truth.

Michael Steffen says:

I agree with Mike in his circa 2009 posts. I agree also that when dictionaries fail to maintian sanity about the use and meaning of words that it is the responsibility of those of us who still care to not just parrot what the dictionary may say but also acknowledge that the dictionary(s) have failed us and to give the sort of thoughtful and clear understanding that was given by Mike. Just bowing to the dictionaries and re-iterating their failings as did gramerbook.com in the first post of July 29 2008, is a travesty. We, as those concerned with clear precise and unambigous communications, have a responsibility to encourage the better use of the language even in the face of a dictionary that embraces the devolution of that language. An evolving language can be a good thing, I agree with and understand that. But there is NOTHING GOOD about a language in which a sufficient volume of mis-use results in something being deemed correct, especially when that new acceptance condones and facilitates mis-communication. Grammar is base in rules and commmon understanding. Those rules should not change on the whim of the ignorant; nor should they change based on a wide spread usage that leads to the errosion of clear communications. “Authorities” like grammarbook.com need to help hold dictionaries to a higher standard than they seem to be willing to hold themselves.

Reader Writer says:

Your response is confusing. I can’t determine if you’re bi-wrong or semi-wrong. Using GrammarBook as a source for Grammar and Punctuation might get your gramma mad and your editor punchy. At least you began with a true premise. (And you got me to look up “doublespeak”).
My grammar just wouldn’t be the same without you!

Your words:
“Using bi or semi in front of time periods can cause tremendous confusion.
> Biweekly means once every two weeks or twice a week.
Bimonthly means once every two months or twice a month.”
>
Yes, it doesn’t.

Bennett says:

In searching the difference between bi- and semi-, your website leads off with :

Biweekly means once every two weeks or twice a week.
Bimonthly means once every two months or twice a month.

If something is “once every two weeks” as noted above, then it is twice a month (not twice a week).
And, if something Bimonthly is “once every two months” it does not mean twice a month.

In clarifying the difference, you confused.
I don’t know how people blogged and didn’t catch this.

Please correct.

Michael says:

Biweekly means once every two weeks or twice a week.
Bimonthly means once every two months or twice a month.
Doesn’t anyone else see the contradictions in these two statements?
“Biweekly means once every two weeks or twice a week.” Well, which is it? Every two weeks or twice a week?
“Bimonthly means once every two months or twice a month.” Well, which is it? Every two months or twice a month. Pick one, you can’t have both and be correct?

Skip says:

It’s unfortunate the bi- words discussed above have lost concrete meanings. Their dual meanings most certainly cause much confusion. Maybe through the following explanation, someone on this page can solidify their use of at least the prefix bi- in their communications.

Bisect is a verb meaning to divide something into two equal parts. Sect, to cut, looks to bi- to determine how many parts should be the result, not how many times the cutting should take place. Trisect follows the same rule. Also, -sect requires “equal parts”. But make no mistake, -sect does the cutting once, not bi-. Bi- means two parts not cutting twice.

Here’s another example using the prefix bi-. Hetero-, hom*o-, and bisexual hold most definite meanings. Hetero- means other or different. Thus, a heterosexual is attracted to other than one’s own. hom*o- means same. Then, a hom*osexual is attracted to one’s own. And bi- means both of the existing sexes, or the same AND something other than same, maybe even opposite. Bi- did not create two sexes, nor did it divide one sex into two. It only described the two sexes in existence. So bisexual loves both…two…not twice of the same. Much like bisect cuts into two, not twice, with -sect as the operative.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to apply hetero-, hom*o-, and bi- to “weekly”. Heteroweekly would mean at some time other than this week. hom*oweekly would mean during this or the same week. But look at this, biweekly would mean both this week AND the other…two. Remember, bisexuals don’t love the sexes twice, they love two sexes. And bisexual describes the sexes, not how many time they are loved.

Couldn’t we deduce from this explanation that biweekly means there must be an occurrence of two weeks in order for something to happen, not that something happens twice in a single week?

I understand the dictionary allows two meanings. But for me, biweekly is every two weeks and I will use “biweekly”. Thanks, y’all.

Michael J says:

It is one thing to acknowledge that a lot of people mis-use a word and therefore the well educated must be cautious when using that word around the less well educated. However, it is a wholly different thing to just cave in and say “the word by has taken on both meanings.” That is a cop out. The only way it was allowed to take on both meanings is because some set of “authorities” caved in and said it’s okay, it has now taken on both meanings. At exactly what point does mis-use become okay? Jane acknowledged that mute was incorrectly used where moot was meant. But by the standards being applied to “bi” it is just a matter of time before mute will have “taken on both meanings.” I call bull— and cop-out on this “process” for changing the meaning of words.

Steve says:

I think this contradiction between uses will lead to discontinued use of bi-weekly and bi-monthly unless an authority on word usage takes a stand.

Greg says:

…” If you mean every two weeks, you may also say, “I visit my aunt semimonthly.”
For accuracy, I believe that bi-weekly would be more appropriate if this were the case. A year of semi-monthly visits would result in 24 visits while a year of bi-weekly visits would total 26.

rOx says:

The true answer, I believe, is not in the placement of bi or semi prefix; both are equally ambiguous. Hence dissertations on the meaning of the prefix are meaningless. The answer, rather, lies in the meaning of the suffix “ly”.

Paul Clark says:

Even the “proper’ definition as quoted in thisarticle is ridiculous..how can ‘bi-weekly’ mean BOTH “twice a week”,AND ‘every two weeks”? What good is THAT???

Stanton says:

Fortnightly anyone?

Jake says:

This was an interesting thread to read (and original article) to read. I thought I would just make a small contribution, in pointing out logical fallacies that seem to have consistently taken place (I will point no fingers though).

* You must be careful when defining a word by latin roots (or greek for that matter) to a word, and come out with a ‘definitive’ definition. They give a basic background but seldom definitive meaning. IE: bi- as a prefix means “two”, that is all. It doesn’t mean every two, just two. A prefix is not predefined in two of what. (bi) weekly then can be seen as two-weekly (biweek[twoweeks]ly or two weekly (bi [two] weekly), based on the order of word construction.

* You must be careful when defining a word by listing example that come to mind of how the prefix is interpretted in another word. Other examples provide evidence of possible usages, but not proof of specific use.

* Acknowledging ‘multiple evolutions of language’ is rather necessary, for a language found all over the world. If “how it is supposed to be used” means “how it was first used”, then proper English will be primarily British..

I mean, what is a biscuit? According to the Latin, twice-cooked. Definitely not the delicious golden goodness I enjoy under some good sausage gravy.

Steve Garbee says:

I see this differently. Consider weekly (or whatever) as the period of a repeating event. Bi- and Semi- are then modifers of the interval or period. I contend that using bi- infers the event occurs twice as often, i.e. twice per base period or twice per week. Semi- infers half, or that the event happens half as often, i.e. every two weeks.

Terry says:

In a headline or header when referring to an annual event should it be: 2nd or Second
Does it follow the same rules as in number where all numbers under 11 are spelled out?

Jery says:

My boss asked me to submit a bi-weekly report on something. I came here to see if it meant 2 times a week or once in two weeks… seems I got more confused reading everything here…

Also trying to read through, it came to me that the confusion erupts when ‘time’ is replaced with ‘an object’… English is a second language so I apologies if this makes people more confused. Let me explain what I mean…

Biweekly = twice a week (time)?
Bilingual = two languages (object)
Biweekly report = object with time (confusion) what is the ‘bi’ pointing at, the report or the week?

nicky says:

Why do people make immature comments

Krylos says:

I detect a fair bit of frustration in the posts being tossed about here and it certainly will not end with this thread. I, for one, certainly hope that it does not. For the frustrated, your angst is understandable as you seek closure, but I offer some perspective on the cost of closure. The issue surrounding the fate of “bi” and whether it has “devolved” to the current state is one of prescriptive and descriptive linguistics. Prescriptivists will argue that the use of “bi” has “devolved” in not coming closer to universal consensus and Descriptivists will revel in the fact that “bi” is still “evolving”–kudos to Jane/GrammarBook for throwing out both terms as it really does depend on which side of the fence you are on. I posit that the discussion here is dominated by “prescriptivists”, because, in regard to language, they hold clear communication above all else and hence, will seek out an authority to “solve the matter,” so to speak. Now, before you claim your camp in the war for linguistic superiority, note that the discussions here have been quite lively… linguistically speaking, that is of supreme importance. We, fortunately, IMHO, are dealing with a living language and this is but one evidence of how truly alive it is. There certainly are many valid arguments for prescriptivism, some of the foremost being in science where precision is paramount and in the business world where time is money and we don’t have the time or money to waste in figuring out what someone means when they say, “submit a bi-weekly report.” But, in your quest for clarity, don’t lose sight of how vital a living language is. Languages suffocate and die under conquerors, dictators, and other extreme duress. Yes, adults will complain of leet just as vehemently as teenagers will complain of Shakespeare, but rest assured that if your language is living and breathing, the people who use it are as well! Peace to you all.

Dawn Parnell says:

If you can have – bi-weekly and bi-monthly can you have bi-daily?

Stuart says:

This is obviously a late addition, but would it be easier if we broke the word differently? Weekly means once per week. Wouldn’t biweekly mean once per biweek or once per two-week? That would make semiweekly once per semiweek or once per half-week. We don’t use the terms biweek (fortnight) or semiweek, but looking at the construction, this has the merit of internal consistency. As for proscriptive or descriptive, I agree that the purpose of language is clear communication. To that end, we need some degree of standardization. The descriptive side of things will always be necessary since our world changes, our needs change and our language will have to change with them.

MiddleEarthOrc says:

This answer is bananas.
Biweekly means once every two weeks or twice a week.
Bimonthly means once every two months or twice a month.

“once every two weeks or twice a week”? Are you saying it is either? Because those two things are very different.

Phil says:

My confusion comes from order of operations:
– (bi-week)-ly means happening every two weeks.
– bi-(weekly) means two times weekly.
Same applies to semi-:
– (semi-week)-ly means every half week (or twice per week).
– semi-(weekly) means half as much as weekly (or every other week).
Cheers!

Simon says:

What is the term for half-quarterly? Currently I do a report quarterly , but I want to change the report so it’s completed eight times a year, not four.

James J. Kaufmann says:

Welcome to the world of linguistics, where language is described, rather than prescribed. I found it helpful to confirm my suspicion about the confusion that can arise from the actual usage of these words. Knowing this helps us to find a way to greater clarity for a given audience or context.