The English language is confusing sometimes

• Phunkie wrote on 2010-10-15 16:56
  Take the word biweekly.
  
  How do you understand it?
  
  (1) Occurring every two weeks.
  
  Or (2) occurring twice every week.
  
  
  There is no separate word for each definition, so both of them are correct definitions of biweekly, which makes it just confusing.
  
  I understand it as (2) twice every week.
  
  Imagine if your doctor told you to take a prescription biweekly. @_@
• Sam wrote on 2010-10-15 16:58
  biweekly is twice a week, bimonthly is one every 2 weeks
• Taycat wrote on 2010-10-15 16:59
  My school calls them biwekly paychecks.
  
  Which occur every two weeks.
• Phunkie wrote on 2010-10-15 17:01

  Quote from Sam;185241:

  biweekly is twice a week, bymonthly is one every 2 weeks

  
  
  

  bi·week·ly
  –adjective
  1. occurring every two weeks.
  2. occurring twice a week; semiweekly.
  

  
  
  Biweekly | Define Biweekly at Dictionary.com
  
  Both are definitions of biweekly.
  
  Unless you were stating your opinion, which works!
• Chiri wrote on 2010-10-15 17:06
  There's a same problem with bimonthly though.
  Every two months, or twice a month?
• Byte wrote on 2010-10-15 17:06
  Normally people use Biweekly to mean every two weeks. There are also people who phrase it "every other week".
  
  The literal definition, Bi meaning two, and week meaning 7 days, Two 7 Day periods. :D
• Phunkie wrote on 2010-10-15 17:07

  Quote from Chiri;185246:

  There's a same problem with bimonthly though.
  Every two months, or twice a month?

  
  
  And biyearly/biannually as well, but I went for shorter time scales. haha
• Chiri wrote on 2010-10-15 17:08
  UK uses it to mean twice a week
• Infamy wrote on 2010-10-15 17:33
  I use "biweekly" for 2 weeks, "Twice weekly" for the other meaning.
• psyal wrote on 2010-10-15 18:06
  Biweekly means once every two weeks, Semiweekly means once every half of a week, or twice a week.
• Zid wrote on 2010-10-15 18:09
  When I say biweekly, I normally mean "every 2 weeks". Because I take the literal definition of bi as "2 of" instead of "2 in". Just like bipartisan refers to both political parties, instead of 2 parts of a party.
  
  If I wanted to say twice a week, well... I would say "twice a week".
• Omegatronic wrote on 2010-10-15 21:05

  Quote from psyal;185271:

  Biweekly means once every two weeks, Biweekly and Semiweekly means once every half of a week, or twice a week.

  
  
  fixed. (really, grab a dictionary.)
  
  I prefer to use the word Fortnightly.
• psyal wrote on 2010-10-15 21:17
  ...you know, there is such a thing as checking. Try looking again, or typing "biweekly" into Google and see what you get, ok?
• Arsik wrote on 2010-10-15 21:20
  Or be like me, and speak American. Screw the rules of the English language. If you can understand what I say without having to doublecheck, then you're doing it right. English is too annoying, what with all of the rules of grammar that English has, there are at least 20 exceptions to each one, so it's probably better to just get a basic understanding, because chances are, 90% of the time, people will understand what you're saying.
• Omegatronic wrote on 2010-10-15 21:23

  Quote from psyal;185352:

  ...you know, there is such a thing as checking. Try looking again, or typing "biweekly" into Google and see what you get, ok?

  
  
  I know right?