perennial
adj. · n.-
1 lasting or recurring (adj.) C1 Advanced Academichappening again and again, or lasting for a long time.
continuing for an indefinitely long time or recurring repeatedly. Often used to describe problems, themes, or interests that never seem to go away.
ExampleTraffic congestion is a perennial problem in this growing city.
ExampleThe philosopher addressed the perennial questions of human existence, focusing on the search for meaning in an increasingly secular world.
UsageCommonly used to modify nouns representing abstract problems or themes.
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2 living many years (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediate Technical Sciencedescribing a plant that lives for more than two years.
having a life cycle lasting more than two years. In botanical contexts, it is a non-gradable adjective.
ExampleI prefer planting perennial flowers so I do not have to replant them every spring.
ExamplePerennial shrubs are essential for providing structure to a garden during the winter months when smaller plants have died back.
UsageUsually precedes the noun it modifies in botanical descriptions.
- long lived
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3 a long-lived plant (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate Sciencea plant that lives for several years.
a plant that persists for several years, usually dying back to the ground in winter and regrowing from the same root system in spring.
ExampleThese perennials will bloom every summer if you take care of the soil.
ExampleThe gardener recommended a mix of hardy perennials to ensure the flower beds remained vibrant year after year without total replanting.
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”)