bicentenary

IPA/ˌbaɪsenˈtiːnəri/
KK[baɪsˈɛntɪnˌɛri]IPA/ˌbaɪsenˈtenəri/

bicentenary — noun

  • bicentenarysingular
  • bicentenariesplural

1. the time when something important reaches 200 years since it happened, or a publ

1.nounC1
Definition

the time when something important reaches 200 years since it happened, or a public event held to remember that moment.

Example

The town held a river parade for the bicentenary of its first bridge.

pattern: the bicentenary of [event]

A museum show marked the bicentenary of Jane Austen's birth.

collocation: mark the bicentenary of

Common collocations
  • the bicentenary of independence
  • mark a bicentenary
  • celebrate a bicentenary
  • bicentenary parade
  • bicentenary events
Synonyms
  • bicentennial

    same meaning, but more common in American English

  • 200th anniversary

    a clear neutral phrase, less compact than 'bicentenary'

  • commemoration

    focuses on the act of remembering, not specifically on 200 years

Grammar Patterns

the bicentenary of [event]

mark/celebrate a bicentenary

Usage Note

Usually used with 'the' and an 'of' phrase naming the earlier event, such as 'the bicentenary of independence'. In formal news and historical writing, it can refer either to the exact 200-year point or to the celebrations around it.

Common Mistakes

The town celebrated its two hundred anniversary.
The town celebrated its bicentenary.
Use 'bicentenary' or 'two-hundredth anniversary', not 'two hundred anniversary'.
We planned a bicentenary party for Emma's twentieth birthday.
We planned a birthday party for Emma's twentieth birthday.
'bicentenary' is only for a 200-year point.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Bicentenary' and 'bicentennial' both name the 200-year point after an important event, but 'bicentenary' is more usual in British English, while 'bicentennial' is often preferred in American English. 'Anniversary' is much broader and can describe any yearly return, from a first wedding anniversary to a centenary. 'Commemoration' is broader too: it focuses on remembering and may describe a ceremony, speech, or monument, even when no exact yearly date is involved. Use 'bicentenary' when the 200-year count itself matters. For example, a country may celebrate the bicentenary of its independence, but a small local event about the same history could simply be called a commemoration.

bicentenary ↗bicentennial ↗anniversary ↗commemoration ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bicentenary celebration
  • bicentenary event
  • bicentenary year
  • bicentenary exhibition

Phrases

  • mark the bicentenary of
  • celebrate a bicentenary
  • the bicentenary of independence

Prepositions

  • bicentenary of

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Built in English from the prefix 'bi-', meaning 'two', and 'centenary', a word for a hundred-year anniversary. Together they name the 200-year point after an important event, especially in historical, civic, and public writing.