bifacial

[ bahy-fey-shuhl ]

adjective

1. having two faces or fronts.
2. Archaeology. having the opposite surfaces alike, as some tools.

bifacial

/ baɪˈfeɪʃəl /

adjective

1. having two faces or surfaces
2. botany (of leaves, etc) having upper and lower surfaces differing from each other
3. archaeol (of flints) flaked by percussion from two sides along the chopping edge

bifacial

/ bī-fā′shəl /

1. Flaked in such a way as to produce a cutting edge that is sharp on both sides. Used of a stone tool.
2. ◆ Bifacial tools are known as a bifaces and include such early core tools as hand axes and cleavers as well as later flake tools such as blades and spear or arrow points.
3. Compare unifacial

Other Words From

• bi·facial·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of bifacial¹

First recorded in 1880–85; bi- ¹ + facial

Example Sentences

Biden’s Feb. 4 announcement continued many Trump-era tariffs, but he exempted so-called bifacial solar panels that can generate electricity on both sides and are now used in many large solar projects.

From Seattle Times

But some critics said that change, along with the exclusion for bifacial panels, would gut protections for the domestic industry.

From New York Times

The four-year extension of the tariff exempts bifacial panels which can generate electricity on both sides and are favored by large scale developers, according to a senior administration official.

From Reuters

It came one year after he ruled that Trump's October 2020 decision to revoke a tariff exemption for double-sided, or bifacial, solar panels had not run afoul of an earlier court order.

From Reuters

Trump didn’t follow through with the Mexico threat, but his administration soon introduced a surprise exemption for bifacial, or double-sided, panels — a decision that undermined SunPower’s own exclusion.

From Seattle Times