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):

  (file)

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, Edmund Burke, 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: fjölær (is) m
• Interlingua: perenne
• Irish: ilbhliantúil
• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingua: perenne
• Irish: ilbhliantúil
• Japanese: 多年生の (たねんせいの, tanensei no)
• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Interlingua: perenne
• Japanese: 永続する (ja) (えいぞくする, eizoku suru)
• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} pérenne (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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