# Biweekly and bimonthly: screwed up definitions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 26, 2008, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296 "2008-06-26T12:32:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/1 "2008-06-26T12:32:21Z")
How the hell did this happen? Look up biweekly in your favorite dictionary. I find it has 2 totally different meanings: once every two weeks, and twice a week. Look up bimonthly, same thing: once every two months, and twice a month. Note how twice a month can equal once every two weeks, making biweekly and bimonthly equivalent. WTF? I think someone here confused bi- with semi-. Any language gurus out there understand how this can happen? Is this another case of “enough people using the word incorrectly makes it acceptable”? I don’t buy that because one definition hasn’t won out - they’re competing! ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/2 "2008-06-26T13:16:36Z")
Regardless, once every two weeks and twice a month aren’t the same thing. One gives 26 paychecks a year, while the other gives 24, respectively. ETA: I think we should use fortnight to mean two weeks (fourteen nights). ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/3 "2008-06-26T13:25:55Z")
Yes, it annoys me, as semi does the job perfectly. From OED (semi, 6, b) > [@](#): > > semi-monthly a. and adv., (occurring, issued, etc.) twice a month; also n. a fortnightly periodical; ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/4 "2008-06-26T13:28:14Z")
[QUOTE=BwanaBob] Is this another case of “enough people using the word incorrectly makes it acceptable”? I don’t buy that because one definition hasn’t won out - they’re competing! [/QUOTE] I strongly suspect this is the case. This is a perfect example of “descriptive” linguistics run amok (I’m not opposed to descriptive linguistics, only the “run amok” part). If you take a poll and ask people what the two terms mean, these are the results you’d probably get. It’s not necessary for one definition to win out, or for them not to compete. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/5 "2008-06-26T13:32:58Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] Yes, it annoys me, as semi does the job perfectly. From OED (semi, 6, b) [/QUOTE] No. No matter your definition of biweekly, it\* never\* means the same as semimonthly. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/6 "2008-06-26T14:40:40Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger] ETA: I think we should use fortnight to mean two weeks (fourteen nights). [/QUOTE] Rather a sidetrack, but does anyone know _why_ “fortnight” is so rarely used in America? I assume it was in common use in Britain when the settlers headed over (my dictionary says it dates back to Old English), so why did a nation that can invent so many totally useless new words let such a serviceable one die out? This side of the pond, “fortnight” isn’t remotely archaic. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/7 "2008-06-26T14:57:32Z")
On top of which, I think you’ll find that the most common use of “biweekly” is to mean “every two weeks”, and the most common use of “bimonthly” is to mean “twice a month”, so the most common usages aren’t even consistent. Hardly anything happens “twice a week” or “every two months”, whereas many things happen “every two weeks” or “twice a month”. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/8 "2008-06-26T17:31:02Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] Hardly anything happens “twice a week” … whereas many things happen “every two weeks” or “twice a month”. [/QUOTE] No doubt that caused a lot of married Dopers to nod their heads in agreement. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/9 "2008-06-26T18:52:47Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger] No. No matter your definition of biweekly, it\* never\* means the same as semimonthly. [/QUOTE] You seem to be stuck in that rut, but that’s not really what the thread is about nor what **aldiboronti** was complaining over. Bimonthly can mean one of two things: either twice a month or every two months. **Aldi** rightly stated that bimonthly used to mean twice a month is pointless as we already have semimonthly to mean exactly that. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/10 "2008-06-26T18:58:45Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] On top of which, I think you’ll find that the most common use of “biweekly” is to mean “every two weeks”, and the most common use of “bimonthly” is to mean “twice a month”, so the most common usages aren’t even consistent. Hardly anything happens “twice a week” or “every two months”, whereas many things happen “every two weeks” or “twice a month”. [/QUOTE] In American periodical comic books, “bimonthly” is every two months (like _Wonder Woman_ in the 1970’s) & “biweekly” is every two weeks (like _Marvel Comics Presents_ in the 1990’s). I don’t know a short word for the eight-times-a-year ones (like, um, _Usagi Yojimbo_, iirc). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/11 "2008-06-26T20:06:03Z")
[QUOTE=foolsguinea] I don’t know a short word for the eight-times-a-year ones (like, um, _Usagi Yojimbo_, iirc). [/QUOTE] Semi-quarterly. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biweekly-and-bimonthly-screwed-up-definitions/454296/12 "2008-06-26T22:55:07Z")
[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net] Semi-quarterly. [/QUOTE] Clever.