Bivoltine

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing an organism that produces two broods, generations, or reproductive cycles within a single year
2. Characterizing species with a life pattern that involves two distinct reproductive periods annually
3. Referring to creatures that complete two full breeding or developmental cycles every year

Etymology: Entomologists borrowed this term from French, where "bivoltin" was used for silkworm breeds that produce two generations a year. The French word itself is built from Latin roots: "bi-" meaning two, and "volt-", from the Latin "volvere," to turn or roll, which gives the sense of a yearly cycle turning twice. The image is of the seasons rolling around again, so the word describes the turning of the year rather than any particular insect. The Latin root "volvere" also lies behind English words such as "revolve" and "evolve," which share the idea of turning over and coming round. Here it has been fitted to the calendar of an animal's life, so a bivoltine species passes through two full reproductive cycles before the year closes.

Synonyms: two-brooded, double-brooded

Antonyms: univoltine, single-brooded