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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary pe·ren·ni·al \\pə-ˈre-nē-əl\\ adjective ETYMOLOGY Latin perennis, from per- throughout + annus year — more at per- , annual DATE 1644 1. present at all seasons of the year2. persisting for several years usually with new herbaceous growth from a perennating part
perennial asters3.
a. persistent , enduring
perennial favorites
b. continuing without interruption : constant , perpetual
the perennial quest for certainty
a perennial student
c. regularly repeated or renewed : recurrent
death is a perennial literary themeSynonyms: see continual
• perennial noun
• pe·ren·ni·al·ly \\-nē-ə-lē\\ adverb perennial
1644, "evergreen," formed in Eng. from L. perennis "lasting through the year (or years)," from per- "through" + annus "year" (see annual). Botanical sense of "Remaining alive through a number of years" is attested from 1672; fig. meaning of "enduring, permanent" is from 1750. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 perennialper·en·nial / pE5reniEl / adjective1. continuing for a very long time; happening again and again 长久的;持续的;反复出现的:
the perennial problem of water shortage 缺水这个老问题
that perennial favourite, hamburgers 汉堡包,这种永远受喜爱的食品2. (of plants 植物) living for two years or more 多年生的• per·en·ni·al·ly / -niEli / adv.:
a perennially popular subject 长年的热门话题 noun any plant that lives for more than two years 多年生植物⇨ compare annual n. (2), biennial n. Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: perennial canker , or perennial european sow thistle , or perennial pea , or perennial peppercress , or perennial peppergrass , or perennial philosophy , or perennial phlox , or perennial ragweed , or perennial ryegrass , or perennial teeth , or hardy perennial , or herbaceous perennial pe·ren·nialI. \pəˈrenēəl, -nyəl\ adjectiveEtymology: Latin perennis perennial (from per- throughout + -ennis, from annus year) + English -al — more at per- , annual 1.
a. obsolete : evergreen
< where round the scene perennial laurels bloom — William Falconer >
b. : present at all seasons of the year
< perennial stream >
< the perennial snow fields are of such great depth that glacial ice forms — W.W.Atwood †1949 >2.
a. : continuing or lasting for several years — used specifically of a plant (as delphinium) that dies back seasonally and produces new growth from a perennating part; compare annual , biennial
b. : existing for more than one season
< perennial insect >
< perennial colony of bees >3.
a. : lasting indefinitely : impervious to change : permanent , enduring
< the perennial, elemental processes of nature — J.L.Lowes >
< the family and the church have proved perennial in the experience of man — Political Science Quarterly >
< the perennial value of this comparative study — Digest of Neurology & Psychiatry >
b. : continuing without interruption : invariably present : constant , perpetual
< a perennial twinkle in his eye — F.W.Crofts >
< the perennial conflict among the services over the question of defense organization — Atlantic >
< a perennial problem of the land, erosion — Leslie Rees >
< the perennial quest for certainty — D.A.Wells >
: unfailingly popular
< as perennial as Uncle Tom's Cabin — New Republic >
c. : regularly repeated : recurrent
< has begun to locate the perennial problems of man in the ordinary affairs of the men of his own time — Vincent Buckley >
< perennial efforts … to stipulate the requirements demanded of their discipline — R.C.Hinkle >Synonyms: see continual II. noun
( -s) 1. : a plant (as a tree or shrub, or an herb renewing the top growth seasonally) that lives for an indefinite number of years — compare annual , biennial 2.
a. : a permanent fixture or continuing question
< hardy perennial among independent producers — Budd Schulberg >
< that vexatious perennial of Southern politics, the status of the Negro — W.G.Carleton >
specifically : a stock item
< a hardy perennial in the book trade — A.L.Guérard >
b. : a recurrent topic or item
< certain to become fiery perennials on the assembly agenda — W.R.Frye > < infantile paralysis, that hardy summer perennial on magazine covers — Edith M. Stern >
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