Relating to or consisting of two things; occurring in pairs or twos.
From Latin 'binalis,' derived from 'bini' meaning 'two each' or 'in pairs.' The root 'bi-' means two, and '-al' is a suffix forming adjectives. The term evolved in scientific contexts to describe paired or dual structures.
This word is one of the oldest 'bi-' words in English, appearing in medieval scientific texts to describe anything that naturally comes in twos—like eyes, ears, or wings. It's surprisingly rare today because we've mostly replaced it with 'binary' or simply 'paired,' but 'binal' sounds like it should describe something mysterious and mathematical.
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