What does bicentenary mean?
A bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a significant event — most often the founding of a nation, city, institution, or organisation — or the festivities held to commemorate it. The word combines the prefix 'bi-', meaning two, with 'centenary', from the Latin centum, meaning hundred, so its structure transparently signals its meaning. In British English, 'bicentenary' is the standard term, while American English overwhelmingly favours 'bicentennial'; the two words are interchangeable in sense but not in regional preference. The word appears chiefly in formal and ceremonial contexts: governments issue bicentenary stamps, universities hold bicentenary lectures, and towns stage bicentenary festivals. Because such anniversaries occur only once every two centuries, the word inherently connotes rarity, endurance, and historical weight. Writers should note the spelling carefully — 'bicentenary' ends in -ary, unlike the more familiar American 'bicentennial', which ends in -ial — though both are correct within their respective dialects.
nounA bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a significant event, or the celebration marking that occasion.
- The two-hundredth anniversary of a notable event, such as a nation's founding or an institution's establishment.
- The celebrations or commemorations held to mark that two-hundredth anniversary.
"The city staged a year-long festival to mark the bicentenary of its founding."
"Australia marked the bicentenary of European settlement with nationwide events in 1988."
"The university's bicentenary was celebrated with concerts, exhibitions, and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque."
The plural follows the standard pattern of nouns ending in -y preceded by a consonant, changing y to i before adding -es.
"Several local museums mounted exhibitions ahead of the two national bicentenaries."
The word packs two Latin roots into itself — 'bi-' (twice) and 'centenary' (hundred) — so it literally spells out its own meaning: two hundred years.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bicentenary
Bicentenary derives from Latin roots: the prefix 'bi-' means 'twice', while 'centenary' comes from the Latin centum ('hundred') via the adjective centenarius ('of a hundred'). The word was formed on the model of 'centenary', which had been borrowed from Latin in the early seventeenth century to denote a hundredth anniversary. Its sibling terms tercentenary (three hundred years) and sesquicentennial follow the same pattern of combining a numerical element with a centennial base. Cognates sharing the centum root include century, centurion, and percent.
Related word forms
How bicentenary is actually used
'Bicentenary' is the standard British form; American English strongly prefers 'bicentennial'. Both function as nouns and as adjectives ('a bicentenary exhibition'). The word carries a formal, ceremonial register and typically appears in contexts of institutional or national commemoration. Plural: 'bicentenaries' or 'bicentenaries' — 'bicentenaries' is standard.
Easily confused with bicentenary
Both mean a 200th anniversary; 'bicentennial' is the standard term in American English, while 'bicentenary' is preferred in British English — they are regional variants rather than different meanings.
A centenary marks one hundred years since an event, whereas a bicentenary marks two hundred years.