Semi-fortnightly
The “biweekly” word is difficult. Does it mean “twice per week” or “every two weeks”? It’s an old chestnut, and generations have looked for an answer. I mustn’t call it the definition of ambiguity, because that’s not what it is, but it is a good example of it.
I gave some thought to the thing. Since we’ve already got a perfectly good word for “every two weeks” (“fortnightly”), I decided that “biweekly” must be used for all other situations, and to make that my recommendation. I felt jolly pleased with myself, and rightly so, right?
Well, no. Here’s Marco Arment in a footnote to a blog post about a podcast about sodding market analysis (my sentiment, not his, although I’ll admit that I listen to it too. Anyhow, it’s a fortnightly podcast):
By convention, “biweekly” should mean “every two weeks”. Unfortunately, the bi- suffix has been misunderstood so frequently to mean “twice per” instead of “every two” that “biweekly” now uselessly means “every two weeks” or “twice per week”.
The semi- prefix properly, and only, means “twice per”. Therefore, the correct word for “twice per week” is “semiweekly”. But since misunderstandings of this have ruined bi-, there’s now no English word that unambiguously means “every two weeks”. (Except “fortnightly”, which is ridiculous.)
I’m using “biweekly” to properly mean “every two weeks” in protest of this widespread definition-shifting vocabularly ignorance.
OK, then.
Rob
6 August 2011
I’ve avoided using semi-weekly and biweekly for years now, for just this reason. I used to know what they’re supposed to mean… but no one else does. And over the years, I’ve quite forgotten too. When two words that mean entirely different things are used in place of each other all the time… they both lose their meaning. And I will stay away.
I’m not fancy enough to say fortnightly, though. I stick with “twice per week” or “every two weeks” to play it safe.