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perennial

adj
/pəˈɹɛn.ɪ.əl/UK/pəˈɹɛn.j(ə)l/US

Etymology

The adjective is borrowed from Latin perennis (“lasting through the whole year or for several years, perennial; continual, everlasting, perpetual”) + English -al (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Perennis is derived from per- (“completive or intensifying prefix with the sense of doing something all the way through or entirely”) + annus (“year; season, time”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂et- (“to go”)). By surface analysis, per- + -ennial. The noun is derived from the adjective. Cognates * Middle French pérenne (modern French pérenne (“lasting through the whole year, perennial”)) * Italian perenne (“lasting for a long time”) * Spanish perenne (“eternal; permanent; a perennial plant”)

  1. derived from *h₂et-✻ — “to go”
  2. borrowed from perennis — “lasting through the whole year or for several years, perennial; continual, everlasting, perpetual”

Definitions

  1. Lasting or remaining active throughout the year, for multiple years, or all the time.

    • a perennial stream
    • And there is ſuch a thing as Subterraneous Heat, […] [a]s is manifeſt from the ſmoking of perennial Fountains in froſty VVeather, and VVater dravvn out of Pumps and open VVells.

  2. Continuing without cessation or intermission for several years, or for an undetermined or…

    Continuing without cessation or intermission for several years, or for an undetermined or infinite period; never-ending or never failing; perpetual, unceasing.

    • His artwork has a perennial beauty.
    • There, on perennial Adamant deſign'd, / The various Fortunes of your Race you'll find: […]
    • Good humour may be defined a habit of being pleaſed, a conſtant and perennial ſoftneſs of manner, eaſineſs of approach, and ſuavity of diſpoſition; […]

  3. Appearing or recurring again and again

    Appearing or recurring again and again; recurrent.

    • a perennial candidate in elections
    • Change is a perennial theme in politics.
  4. ›+ 4 more definitions

    1. Of a plant

      Of a plant: active throughout the year, or having a life cycle of more than two growing seasons.

    2. A plant that is active throughout the year, or has a life cycle of more than two growing…

      A plant that is active throughout the year, or has a life cycle of more than two growing seasons.

    3. A thing that lasts forever.

    4. A person or thing (such as a problem) that appears or returns regularly.

      • Some of the stars on our list are perennials who fill huge venues year after year after year, but there's also a returning superstar on our list of the hottest summer tours of 2019.

The neighborhood

Derived

nonperennial, perennialism, perennialist, perenniality, perennialization, perennialize, perennially, perennialness, perennial philosophy, perenniation, hardy perennial

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for perennial. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA