Added 9 October 2026
perennial
/pəˈɹɛn.ɪ.əl/ noun
In Latin: perennis Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about perennial at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
adjective
-
Lasting three seasons or more.
the common buttercup is a popular perennial plant
-
Lasting an indefinitely long time; suggesting self-renewal.
perennial happiness
-
Recurring again and again.
perennial efforts to stipulate the requirements
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)