Bis

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /baɪz/

Definitions

1. An instruction in music requesting the repetition of a passage or an encore performance after the scheduled piece
2. A direction given during a musical event to perform a segment again or to provide an encore
3. A notation signaling musicians or performers to repeat a section or to play an extra piece as a response to audience acclaim

Etymology: The word is the Latin adverb "bis," meaning "twice," and it passed into music as a shorthand for "again." Musicians wrote "bis" in the margin of a score to ask for a passage to be played a second time, or for a piece to be encored after its scheduled end. The same Latin root appears in English words such as "biennial" (happening every two years) and "bisect" (to cut in two), so the idea of doubling runs through the whole family. This is an inflected-free adverb, so there is no further grammatical history to trace here: it is simply the Latin word used in its literal sense of "twice," then borrowed as a performance instruction.

Synonyms: twice