perennial

English

Etymology

1644, from Latin perennis (“lasting through the whole year”) (itself from per- (“through”) + annus (“year”)) + -al; surface analysis per- +‎ -ennial.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pəˈɹɛni.əl/

• Audio (US)

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Adjective

perennial (not comparable)

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

   a perennial stream

2. (botany, of a plant) Having a life cycle of more than two years.

   Coordinate terms: annual, biennial

3. (figuratively) Continuing without cessation or intermission; perpetual; never failing.

   Synonyms: perpetual, permanent, unceasing

   • 1790, Burke, Edmund, Reflections on the Revolution in France:

     The perennial existence of bodies corporate and their fortunes are things particularly suited to a man who has long views…

4. (figuratively) Enduring; lasting; timeless.

   Synonyms: timeless, everlasting, perpetual; see also Thesaurus:eternal

   His artwork has a perennial beauty.

5. (figuratively) Recurrent; appearing or recurring again and again.

   Synonyms: recurring, repetitious; see also Thesaurus:repetitive

   Change is a perennial theme in politics.

   a perennial candidate

Derived terms

• perennate
• perennation
• perennialism
• perennialist
• perenniality
• perennialization
• perennialize
• perennially
• perenniation
• perennity

 

Translations

lasting or remaining active throughout the year, or all the time

• Catalan: perenne
• Danish: helårlig, evig (da)
• Dutch: gansjarig, eeuwig (nl)
• Finnish: ympärivuotinen
• French: pérenne (fr)
• German: ganzjährig (de)
• Greek: αέναος (el) m (aénaos)
• Hungarian: állandó (hu)

• Icelandic: fjölær (is) m
• Interlingua: perenne
• Irish: ilbhliantúil
• Ladino: siemprebive
• Latin: perennis
• Manx: yl-vleeantagh, yl-vleinoil
• Portuguese: perene (pt)
• Russian: круглогоди́чный (ru) (kruglogodíčnyj)
• Spanish: perenne (es)

(of a plant) Having a life cycle of more than two years

• Catalan: perenne
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 多年生 (zh) (duōniánshēng)

• Czech: trvalka (cs) f
• Danish: flerårig
• Dutch: meerjarig (nl)
• Finnish: monivuotinen (fi)
• Georgian: მრავალწლოვანი (mravalc̣lovani)
• German: mehrjährig (de)
• Greek: πολυετής (el) (polyetís)
• Hungarian: évelő (hu)
• Icelandic: fjölær (is) m

• Interlingua: perenne
• Irish: ilbhliantúil
• Japanese: 多年生の (たねんせいの, tanensei no)
• Kazakh: көпжылдық (köpjıldıq)
• Manx: yl-vleeantagh, yl-vleinoil
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: flerårig

  Nynorsk: fleirårig

• Persian: چندساله‎ (fa) (čand-sâle)
• Polish: wieloletni (pl) m
• Portuguese: perene (pt), vivaz (pt)
• Russian: многоле́тний (ru) (mnogolétnij)
• Swedish: flerårig (sv)

continuing without cessation or intermission; perpetual; permanent; unceasing; never failing

• Catalan: perenne
• Danish: evig (da)
• Dutch: voortdurend (nl), eeuwig (nl)
• Finnish: jatkuva (fi)
• Greek: αέναος (el) m (aénaos), αιώνιος (el) m (aiónios), διηνεκής (el) m or f (diinekís)

• Interlingua: perenne
• Japanese: 永続する (ja) (えいぞくする, eizoku suru)
• Maori: tautini
• Persian: جاوید‎ (fa) (jâvid)
• Portuguese: perene (pt)
• Russian: постоя́нный (ru) (postojánnyj), ве́чный (ru) (véčnyj)

enduring; lasting; timeless

• Catalan: perenne
• Danish: evig (da)
• Dutch: eeuwig (nl)
• Finnish: ajaton (fi)
• German: dauerhaft (de)

• Greek: διηνεκής (el) m or f (diinekís)
• Polish: odwieczny (pl) m
• Portuguese: perene (pt)
• Russian: ве́чный (ru) (véčnyj)

recurrent; appearing or recurring again and again

• Danish: tilbagevendende
• Finnish: toistuva (fi)
• German: wiederkehrend (de)

• Polish: częsty (pl), powracający, powtarzający się m
• Russian: повторя́ющийся (ru) (povtorjájuščijsja), возвраща́ющийся (ru) (vozvraščájuščijsja)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} pérenne (fr)

Noun

perennial (plural perennials)

1. A perennial plant; a plant that is active throughout the year or survives for more than two growing seasons.

   Coordinate terms: annual, biennial, evergreen

Translations

perennial plant

• Catalan: perennifoli
• Czech: trvalka (cs) f
• Dutch: meerjarige (nl) plant (nl) f
• Finnish: perenna (fi), monivuotinen kasvi
• French: vivace (fr) m or f
• Greek: πολυετές (el) n (polyetés)
• Hungarian: évelő (hu)

• Mandarin: 多年生 (zh) (duōniánshēng)
• Polish: bylina (pl) f, roślina wieloletnia f
• Portuguese: planta perene f
• Russian: многолетнее (ru) (mnogoletneje) расте́ние (ru) n (rasténije)
• Slovene: trajnica, večletna rastlina
• Swedish: perenn (sv)

Further reading

• perennial on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• perennial plant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia