But a real dictionary, the OED, correctly defines biannual and biennial. :-)
Baron Carter -----Original Message----- From: Bill Potts [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, 30 April, 2002 01:13 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:19810] RE: Fw: [ISO8601] Newspaper mention of ISO 8601 I just checked my Webster's and found, to my horror, that the common usage of biannual is for "twice per year." One of the definitions is "semi-annual," which of course is totally contradictory, given the usual implication that the prefix "semi" represents the reciprocal of the prefix "bi." Again, an example of dictionaries providing definitions that are other than rational. Oh well. Bill Potts, CMS Roseville, CA http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On > Behalf Of Bill Potts > Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 22:54 > To: U.S. Metric Association > Subject: [USMA:19809] RE: Fw: [ISO8601] Newspaper mention of ISO 8601 > > > Andy Horning seems to be somewhat innumerate in other areas, though. > > For example, he says, 'Franklin's gag became the biannual ruse called > "daylight-saving time."' > > First biennial (not biannual) means once every two years. Twice > per year is > semi-annual. > > Second, we only go to Daylight Saving Time ONCE per year, so it should be > annual. (The other move is FROM Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time.) > > And, of course, he talks about the Earth's circumference in miles and > rotational speed in mph. > > However, his knowing about ISO 8601 is something, at least. > > Bill Potts, CMS > Roseville, CA > http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On > > Behalf Of Han Maenen > > Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 22:34 > > To: U.S. Metric Association > > Subject: [USMA:19807] Fw: [ISO8601] Newspaper mention of ISO 8601 > > > > > > >From the ISO 8601 list: > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "bam" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "ISO8601" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Monday, April 29, 2002 9:13 PM > > Subject: [ISO8601] Newspaper mention of ISO 8601 > > > > > > > > ISO 8601 is mentioned prominently within a recent article > > by ANDY HORNING in The Indianapolis Star News. > > > > I discovered it on a clipping service, via the following URL: > > > > http://www.self-gov.org/clips/article.cgi?rec=1546 > > > > (Another URL that might work is: > > http://www.starnews.com/article.php?ecolhorning22.html,opinion ) > > > > (The newspaper lists the date incorrectly, > > but we know that 2002-04-22 is the correct dateline. ;^) > > > > Bruce A. Martin > > > > > >
