perennial. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

perennial

SYLLABICATION:	per·en·ni·al
PRONUNCIATION:	p-rn-l
ADJECTIVE:	1. Lasting or active through the year or through many years. 2a. Lasting an indefinitely long time; enduring: perennial happiness. b. Appearing again and again; recurrent. See synonyms at continual. 3. Botany Living three or more years.
NOUN:	1. Botany A perennial plant. 2. Something that recurs or seems to recur on a yearly or continual basis: “that hardy perennial, the budget deficit” (David S. Broder).
ETYMOLOGY:	Latin perennis ( per-, throughout; see per– + annus, year; see at- in Appendix I) + –al¹.
OTHER FORMS:	per·enni·al·ly —ADVERB


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.