perennial

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

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... perpetual enduring everlasting recurrent lasting constant abiding

Opposites

ephemeral transient fleeting annual

Word family

Forms perennially

Derived forms perennially

Related forms biennial annual

Simplified etymology

Perennial, recorded in the mid-17th century, comes from the same Latin source as annual and has the underlying sense of “lasting through the year,” ultimately deriving from Latin annus, “year.”

Etymology

From Latin perennis ('lasting through the year, enduring'), from per- ('through') + annus ('year').

perennis Latin annus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Gardening & Horticulture Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# 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
- Describing Qualities
- Gardening & Horticulture
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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