Usually a technical word, bipartite is common in medicine and biology. A bipartite patella, for example, is a split kneecap; many people are born with them. Many creatures have a bipartite life cycle, living life in two very distinct forms. As one example, the velella begins life as a creature that travels with thousands of others in the form of a kind of sailboat, blown across the ocean's surface with the wind; only later does each velella turn into a tiny jellyfish.
Recent Examples on the WebWhat the Jewish People needed, Isaac thought, was bipartite leadership. Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 1 Nov. 2021 In the last week, the team has shut down sluggers Shohei Ohtani (surgery to address bipartite patella in his left knee), Justin Upton (patellar tendinitis in his right knee) and Mike Trout (Morton’s neuroma in his right foot). Maria Torres, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2019
Word History
Etymology
Latin bipartitus, past participle of bipartire to divide in two, from bi- + partire to divide, from part-, pars part