perennial C2+ Topic:House & Home US /pəˈrɛniəl/ UK /pəˈrɛniəl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj lasting or recurring through many years; a plant living for years Funding for the arts remains a perennial subject of political debate. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · lasting or recurring... perpetualenduringeverlastingrecurrentlastingconstantabiding ↔ Opposites ephemeraltransientfleetingannual Word family Forms perennially Derived forms perennially Related forms biennialannual Etymology AI details From Latin perennis ('lasting through the year, enduring'), from per- ('through') + annus ('year'). perennis Latin annus Latin View etymology graph -> Topics House & Home Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # perennial **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /pəˈrɛniəl/ **IPA (UK):** /pəˈrɛniəl/ ## Meanings 1. lasting or recurring through many years; a plant living for years ## Examples - Funding for the arts remains a perennial subject of political debate. ## Synonyms - perpetual - enduring - everlasting - recurrent - lasting - constant - abiding ## Antonyms - ephemeral - transient - fleeting - annual ## Derived Forms - perennially ## Related Forms - biennial - annual ## Roots and Affixes - Root: perennis - Root: annus ## Etymology From Latin perennis ('lasting through the year, enduring'), from per- ('through') + annus ('year'). ## AI Etymology Perennial comes from Latin perennis ('lasting through the year, enduring'), from per- ('through') + annus ('year'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As an adjective and noun, it carries the sense "lasting or recurring through many years; a plant living for years", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Latin perennis and Latin annus. Derivative forms include perennially; related words include biennial, annual. ## Topics - House & Home - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown