biennium

noun

bi·​en·​ni·​um bī-ˈe-nē-əm How to pronounce biennium (audio)
plural bienniums or biennia bī-ˈe-nē-ə How to pronounce biennium (audio)
: a period of two years

Examples of biennium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The change is estimated to create an additional $300 million in revenue each biennium, said Berg, chair of the House Finance Committee. Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 15 Feb. 2024 The state Department of Public Instruction requested this same amount in the 2023-25 biennium budget, and it was included in the governor’s budget proposal. Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2024 The House would give state workers a 3 percent raise in both years of the budget, at a cost of $547 million over the biennium. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 Those cuts will reduce revenue by $3 billion over the biennium. Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023 The agency spends more than $5 billion per biennium, with $1.5 billion going toward roadway and bridge maintenance and repair. oregonlive, 26 Jan. 2023 Oregon’s state budget for problem-gambling resources is based on a two-year (biennium) cycle. Rachel Epstein, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2023 The budget would give community colleges $800 million and public universities just over a billion, an 11.2% increase over the 2021-23 biennium for community colleges and a more than 8% increase for the public universities. oregonlive, 1 June 2023 The community college association wants the commission to reconsider the funding balance in the second year of the biennium and to put financial aid award amounts to a public vote by the full commission, which is not currently required. oregonlive, 15 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biennium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from bi- + annus year — more at annual

First Known Use

1699, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of biennium was in 1699

Dictionary Entries Near biennium

Cite this Entry

“Biennium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biennium. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!