Perennial definition

pə-rĕnē-əl
perennials
See word origin
Frequency:
Lasting or continuing for a long time.

Perennial youth.

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(botany) A perennial plant.
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(botany) Living three or more years.
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The definition of a perennial person or thing is when they exist or are active for a whole year or a long time.

An example of perennial is a person who has lived for a long time.

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The definition of a perennial is something that is always present, often referring to plants.

An example of a perennial is a plant that regrows each year in the spring.

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Lasting or active throughout the year.

A perennial stream.

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Lasting an indefinitely long time; enduring.

An author's perennial popularity among children.

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Appearing again and again or year after year; recurrent.

A perennial contender for the championship.

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Something that recurs or seems to recur on a yearly or continual basis.
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Returning or becoming active again and again; perpetual.
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Having a life cycle of more than two years: said esp. of herbaceous plants that produce flowers and seed from the same root structure year after year.
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A perennial plant.
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A person or thing that is present continuously or reappears regularly.
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Living for three or more years.
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A perennial plant. Herbaceous perennials survive winter and drought as underground roots, rhizomes, bulbs, corms, or tubers. Woody perennials, including vines, shrubs, and trees, usually stop growing during winter and drought. Asters, irises, tulips, and peonies are familiar garden perennials.
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Lasting or remaining active throughout the year, or all the time.

A perennial stream.

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(botany, of a plant) Having a life cycle of more than two years. Compare annual, biennial.
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(figuratively) Continuing without cessation or intermission; perpetual; permanent; unceasing; never failing.
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(figuratively) Enduring; lasting; timeless.

His artwork has a perennial beauty.

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

Change is a perennial theme in politics.

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A perennial plant; a plant that is active throughout the year or survives for more than two growing seasons. Compare annual, biennial.
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Lasting or active throughout the whole year.
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
perennial
Plural:
perennials

Origin of perennial

  • Latin perennis (per- throughout per–) (annus year at- in Indo-European roots) –al

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • 1644, from Latin perennis (“lasting through the whole year"), from per- (“through") + annus (“year").

    From Wiktionary

Perennial Sentence Examples

  • Twining plants with running perennial roots.

  • There are no rivers and few perennial streams in the islands.

  • It is really a biennial, but grows itself so freely as to become perennial in the garden.

  • In this operation all stones larger than a man's fist must be taken out, and all roots of trees and of perennial weeds carefully cleared away.

  • Owing to the prevalent dry easterly winds from the arid plains of north Australia, Timor, like Ombay, Flores and other neighbouring islands, has a much drier climate, and a poorer vegetation, than islands further west, and has few perennial streams and no considerable rivers.

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Words near perennial in the Dictionary