perennialadj.n.

Brit.

/pəˈrɛnɪəl/, U.S.

/pəˈrɛnj(ə)l/,

/pəˈrɛniəl/

Forms: 1600s perenniel, 1600s– perennial.

Origin: A borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Etymons: Latin perennis , -al suffix¹.

Etymology: < classical Latin perennis lasting through the year or years ( < per per prep. + annus year: see annals n.) + -al suffix¹. Compare Middle French, French pérenne perpetual (1588 in Montaigne), lasting all year (1603), Spanish perenne permanent, now also (of a plant) perennial (1424 in sense ‘(of God) eternal’), Italian perenne long-lasting (1381–2). Compare earlier perennal adj.

A. adj.

†a. Of plants or their leaves: remaining green or leafy throughout the year; evergreen. Obsolete.Both here and in sense A. 1b, the meaning could be understood as ‘lasting through successive years, never-failing, perpetual’, as in sense A. 2, of which continuance throughout the year is the condition.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > by age or cycles > [adjective] > evergreen or ever-blooming

evergreen1593

everbearing1597

everblooming1600

still-green1603

perennialc1660

sempervirent1668

evergrowing1843

sempervirid1909

c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1644 (1955) II. 232 A row..covered over with the natural shrubbs, Ivys & other perennial Greenes.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 117/1 Perenniel leaves..last all the year.

a1706 J. Evelyn Direct. for Gardiner (1932) 20 Perennial plants, such as continue all the yeare.

1795 H. J. Pye Elegy I in War-elegies of Tyrtæus, Imitated 26 Around his brows perennial laurels bloom.

b. Of a spring, stream, water supply, etc.: lasting or continuing throughout the year or through all seasons of the year.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > duration > [adjective] > long-lasting or enduring

longeOE

longsomeeOE

long of lifeOE

lastinga1225

cleaving1340

continualc1340

dwellingc1380

long-livinga1382

everlastingc1384

long-duringa1387

long-lasting?a1400

long-liveda1400

broadc1400

permanable?c1422

perseverant?a1425

permanentc1425

perdurable?a1439

continuedc1440

abiding1448

unremoved1455

eternalc1460

long-continued1464

continuing1526

long-enduring1527

enduring1532

immortal1538

diuturn?1541

veterated1547

resiant?1567

stayinga1568

well-wearinga1568

substantive1575

pertinacious1578

extant1581

ceaseless1590

marble1596

of length1597

longeval1598

diuturnal1599

nine-lived1600

chronic1601

unexhausted1602

chronical1604

endurable1607

continuant1610

indeflourishing1610

aged1611

indurant1611

continuatea1616

perennious1628

seculara1631

undiscontinueda1631

continuated1632

untransitory1632

long-spun1633

momently1641

stative1643

outliving1645

constant1653

long-descended1660

voluminousa1661

perduring1664

perdurant1671

livelong1673

perennial1676

longeve1678

consequential1681

unquenched1703

lifelong1746

momentary1755

inveterate1780

stabile1797

persistent1826

unpassing1831

all-time1846

year-long1846

teak-built1847

lengthful1855

long-term1867

long haul1873

sticky1879

week-to-week1879

perenduring1883

long-range1885

longish1889

long-time1902

long run1904

long-life1915

1676 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 11 645 It was believed, that these long-lived Vegetables had..somewhat of the nature of Perennial Fountains.

1699 L. Wafer New Voy. & Descr. Isthmus Amer. 48 Rivers, Brooks, and Perennial Springs.

1713 W. Derham Physico-theol. ii. v. 50 There is such a Thing as Subterraneous Heat..As is manifest from the smoking of perennial Fountains in frosty Weather.

1854 H. D. Thoreau Walden 463 A perennial spring in the midst of pine and oak woods.

1879 A. R. Wallace Australasia xvi. 309 Their rapid flow and perennial supply of water are excellently adapted for irrigation.

1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 955/2 There are no rivers and few perennial streams in the islands.

1973 Times 22 Mar. (Pakistan Suppl.) p. xi/4 10 million acres are served by ‘perennial’ canals (that is, canals which never dry up).

1990 Indian Express (Cochin) 24 Jan. 7/6 This river which was perennial is drying up.

c. Ecology. Of a planktonic organism: present at all seasons.

ΚΠ

1900 Science 16 Feb. 256/2 The plankton being composed of a few hibernal and a smaller number of perennial species principally of Rhizopoda, Copepoda and Rotifera.

1958 Ecology 39 548/2 There is a difference between the perennial species [of plankton] and the uniseasonal ones, the last..having..more expressive pulses at the convenient time.

2002 Turkish Jrnl. Zool. 26 341 [The rotifers] P. vulgaris and A. priodonta were determined to be perennial species for this dam's lake.

d. Medicine. Of an allergic condition: present at all seasons.

ΚΠ

1920 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 75 782/2 Those patients who have perennial hay-fever due to animal emanations, foods and pollens.

1966 Ann. Allergy 24 150/1 One of the most difficult of the allergic diseases to control adequately is perennial allergic rhinitis.

1996 Pulse 20 Apr. 78 (advt.) Rapitil is indicated for the prevention, relief and treatment of allergic conjunctivitis, including..perennial allergic conjunctivitis.

a. Of plants, their roots, etc.: remaining alive for a number of years; spec. designating a herbaceous plant that dies down above ground and sends up fresh growth every year. Frequently in the names of plants. Cf. annual adj. 7a, biennial adj. 1b.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > by age or cycles > [adjective] > perennial

perennal?c1500

everlasting1578

perennial1669

vivacious1682

rhizocarpic1829

rhizocarpous1832

perpetual1837

perennating1888

1669 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 4 935 The singular care and Skil of our Author; who in this Catalogue hath..by certain marks distinguish't the Perennial ones from the Annual.

1673 N. Grew Idea Phytol. Hist. ii. i. 59 In what particular way some Roots become perennial. Some are wholly so, as those of Trees, Shrubs, and divers woody Plants.

1721 R. Bradley Philos. Acct. Wks. Nature 34 These..may again be distinguished by being Annual, or Perennial and Vivaceous.

1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. iii. xxiii. 229 In warm Regions, Plants that are annual with us will become perennial or arborescent.

1811 A. T. Thomson London Dispensatory ii. 309 The root is perennial, creeping, woody, and tortuous.

1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon II. 433 The perennial sweet-pea which she had planted.

1937 Amer. Home Apr. 151/1 (advt.) Sow Scott's Lawn Seed. It's freer from weeds and contains deep-rooting perennial grasses.

1974 Country Life 17 Jan. 72/3 George Russell, a Yorkshire gardener, was attempting to improve the perennial lupin.

1990 Field Feb. 39/2 Artichokes.., being perennial,..can provide a very useful long-term cover crop.

b. Lasting through a succession of years, or through a long, indefinite, or infinite time; continual, perpetual; enduring, everlasting. perennial philosophy n. = philosophia perennis n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > duration > eternity or infinite duration > [adjective]

echec825

echelichc825

endlessc888

lastinga1225

everlastingc1225

perdurablec1275

perpetuala1325

unendeda1325

incorruptiblea1340

ay-lastingc1340

inlastingc1340

eternec1366

interminablec1374

unstanchablec1374

ever-duringa1382

eternalc1386

sempitern1390

never-failinga1400

sempiternal14..

ever-being?a1425

ever-durable?a1425

immarcescible?a1475

perennal?c1500

deathless1547

everlastable1548

incessant1557

unperishing1561

undeterminable1581

evera1586

unendlya1586

inexterminable1592

never-ending?1592

aeviternal1596

dateless1597

undecaying1599

entombless1601

perishless1605

ageless1609

continual1610

perpetuous1612

imperible1614

ne'er-endinga1616

out-date1623

undated1624

perennious1628

immortal1630

imperishable1648

birthless1651

fadeless1652

sempiternous1653

evergreen1655

intemporal1656

indefectible1659

inconclusible1660

unending1661

aeonian1664

unfading1665

sempervirent1668

amaranthal1674

ne'er-dying1693

perennial1717

timeless1742

indefeatablea1754

amaranthine1782

aeonial1800

unterminating1821

unevanescent1827

ay1845

forever1879

sempervirid1909

the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > [noun] > alleged central core of truths

philosophia perennis1858

perennial philosophy1962

1717 J. Dryden et al. Metamorphoses xv. 545 There, on perennial Adamant design'd, The various Fortunes of your Race you'll find.

1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 72. ⁋3 A constant and perennial softness of manner.

1798 J. Cranch Let. 28 May in G. Steevens Corr. (MS, Folger Libr.) Whether honest Thomas were any way allied to that perennial stock which has so long furnished England.

1839 T. Carlyle Chartism iv. 25 A government and guidance of white European men which has issued in perennial hunger of potatoes to the third man extant.

1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. x. 90 Perennial youth is in her artificial flowers.

1879 Fortn. Rev. Apr. 507 Men, forgetful of the perennial poetry of the world, muck-raking in a litter of fugitive refuse.

1919 W. A. Cull At all Costs 10 There was the perennial problem of the little nuisances of life.

1962 E. Wynne-Tyson Philos. of Compassion 3 The most fundamental difference between the teachings of the western religions and those of the perennial philosophy and of the original Creed of Christ.

1989 O. V. Vijayan After the Hanging 36 The Priest asked the Astrologer, ‘Tell me, brother, is our servitude perennial?’

c. Recurring year after year; annual. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > period > year > [adjective] > yearly or annual

yearlyOE

annal1503

annual1529

anniversary1552

solennic1623

quotannal1651

solennial1656

quotannual1658

perennial1845

year-to-year1852

quotennial1878

1845 J. R. McCulloch Treat. Taxation i. iv. 130 The difference between A's actual income of 1000l. and the corresponding perennial income of 660l., that is, 340l., will, if accumulated for twenty-seven years and a half, at 4 per cent., produce 16,500l.

1983 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 6 Nov. 11nj 22/5 Two perennial events have achieved the equivalent of ‘landmark status’ among benefit shows.

1993 Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator (Nexis) 5 Apr. b3 The perennial celebration of Passover reminds each generation of the struggle of their people.

†d. Zoology. Of teeth: growing continually throughout life, as the incisors of a rodent. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries.

ΚΠ

1890 Cent. Dict. Perennial,..in zoöl., growing continually: noting teeth which have the pulp-cavity open, and grow indefinitely from persistent pulps: as, the perennial incisors of a rodent.

e. Entomology. (Of a social insect) forming colonies which persist from year to year; (of an insect colony) persisting from year to year.

ΚΠ

1890 Cent. Dict. Perennial,..in entom., forming colonies which are continued from year to year, as the ants, bees, and termites.

1927 Sci. Monthly Aug. 130 The tropical Epiponinæ..often form large perennial colonies.

1999 Amer. Naturalist 154 417 (title) Queen–worker conflict over sexual production and colony maintenance in perennial social insects.

f. Zoology. Of an animal or a developmental stage: living or persisting for more than one year. rare.

ΚΠ

1890 Cent. Dict. Perennial,..in entom.,..also, living more than one year, as an insect.

1955 T. I. Storer & R. L. Usinger Elements Zool. xxvi. 448 Some ambystomid salamanders produce perennial larvae that reach adult size and breed while retaining the gills and other larval features.

B. n.

1. A perennial plant: see sense A. 2a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > by age or cycles > [noun] > perennial

perenniala1678

perpetualc1710

a1678 T. Hanmer Garden Bk. (1933) 5 Of Fibrous Perennials we have the Gilliflower, Stocke Gilliflower.

1763 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry II. 413 It may destroy annual plants, such as corn, entirely; but in perennials, like grass, it destroys only the leaves or blades.

1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xxvi. 397 Doronicum or Leopard's-bane,..now common among the perennials of the garden, has the scales of the calyx in two rows.

1819 Amer. Farmer 4 June 77 Cut off close to the ground, all decaying flower stems of perennials, except such as are intended to save seed from.

1880 A. Gray Struct. Bot. iii. §1. 32 Perennials are plants which live and blossom or fructify year after year. They may or may not have perennial roots.

1925 Today's Housewife Feb. 30/3 Bleeding heart, columbines, campanulas and a host of other hardy perennials may be used.

1974 A. J. Huxley Plant & Planet xx. 221 Many perennials get through this by dying down to a root-clump.

1995 Garden (Royal Hort. Soc.) Nov. 695/2 Newly emerged perennials, deciduous trees and shrubs share a vulnerability to cold in maritime climates where spring is unpredictable.

2. In extended use: something that remains fresh or lasts perennially. Now esp.: a perennial problem.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > duration > [noun] > long duration or lasting through time > something having long duration

a work of time1622

perennial1748

marathon1915

1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. xxiii. 205 Such a gentleman, or such a lady, is an annual—Such a one a perennial.

1771 E. Griffith Hist. Lady Barton III. 65 She..told me that..the most constant lovers were not to be considered more than perennials.

1827 C. Lamb Let. 20 Jan. (1935) III. 67 His jokes..were old trusty perennials,..always as good as new.

1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 31 July 3/2 Belonging to the annuals rather than the perennials of poetry.

1978 J. Pudney Thank Goodness for Cake 115 Divorce is not just an incident but a long-term perennial, influencing even grandchildren.

1995 Accountancy Nov. 103/1 There is also some need for clarification on..the thorny perennial of how to define distributable profits.

Compounds

perennial ryegrass n. the ryegrass Lolium perenne, widely used in pastures, as a hard-wearing component of lawns, and as a catch crop.

ΚΠ

?1830 P. Sellar Kyle in Ayrshire 38 in Farm-rep. The only grass sown in this district is perennial rye grass, the very worst for pasture, as cattle reject its shot stalks.

1914 A. H. Sanders Hist. Herefords i. 30 The principal grasses now used in forming a permanent pasture are perennial rye grass, the various kinds of fescue, [etc.].

2003 Farmers Guardian 14 Mar. 75/1 (advt.) Catch crops such as perennial ryegrass and red fescue..take up nitrogen from the soil during periods when there is no main crop growing.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	perennial
释义	perennialadj.n. Brit. /pəˈrɛnɪəl/, U.S. /pəˈrɛnj(ə)l/, /pəˈrɛniəl/ Forms: 1600s perenniel, 1600s– perennial. Origin: A borrowing from Latin, combined with an English element. Etymons: Latin perennis , -al suffix¹. Etymology: < classical Latin perennis lasting through the year or years ( < per per prep. + annus year: see annals n.) + -al suffix¹. Compare Middle French, French pérenne perpetual (1588 in Montaigne), lasting all year (1603), Spanish perenne permanent, now also (of a plant) perennial (1424 in sense ‘(of God) eternal’), Italian perenne long-lasting (1381–2). Compare earlier perennal adj. A. adj. 1. †a. Of plants or their leaves: remaining green or leafy throughout the year; evergreen. Obsolete.Both here and in sense A. 1b, the meaning could be understood as ‘lasting through successive years, never-failing, perpetual’, as in sense A. 2, of which continuance throughout the year is the condition. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > by age or cycles > [adjective] > evergreen or ever-blooming evergreen1593 everbearing1597 everblooming1600 still-green1603 perennialc1660 sempervirent1668 evergrowing1843 sempervirid1909 c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1644 (1955) II. 232 A row..covered over with the natural shrubbs, Ivys & other perennial Greenes. 1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. 117/1 Perenniel leaves..last all the year. a1706 J. Evelyn Direct. for Gardiner (1932) 20 Perennial plants, such as continue all the yeare. 1795 H. J. Pye Elegy I in War-elegies of Tyrtæus, Imitated 26 Around his brows perennial laurels bloom. b. Of a spring, stream, water supply, etc.: lasting or continuing throughout the year or through all seasons of the year. ΘΚΠ the world > time > duration > [adjective] > long-lasting or enduring longeOE longsomeeOE long of lifeOE lastinga1225 cleaving1340 continualc1340 dwellingc1380 long-livinga1382 everlastingc1384 long-duringa1387 long-lasting?a1400 long-liveda1400 broadc1400 permanable?c1422 perseverant?a1425 permanentc1425 perdurable?a1439 continuedc1440 abiding1448 unremoved1455 eternalc1460 long-continued1464 continuing1526 long-enduring1527 enduring1532 immortal1538 diuturn?1541 veterated1547 resiant?1567 stayinga1568 well-wearinga1568 substantive1575 pertinacious1578 extant1581 ceaseless1590 marble1596 of length1597 longeval1598 diuturnal1599 nine-lived1600 chronic1601 unexhausted1602 chronical1604 endurable1607 continuant1610 indeflourishing1610 aged1611 indurant1611 continuatea1616 perennious1628 seculara1631 undiscontinueda1631 continuated1632 untransitory1632 long-spun1633 momently1641 stative1643 outliving1645 constant1653 long-descended1660 voluminousa1661 perduring1664 perdurant1671 livelong1673 perennial1676 longeve1678 consequential1681 unquenched1703 lifelong1746 momentary1755 inveterate1780 stabile1797 persistent1826 unpassing1831 all-time1846 year-long1846 teak-built1847 lengthful1855 long-term1867 long haul1873 sticky1879 week-to-week1879 perenduring1883 long-range1885 longish1889 long-time1902 long run1904 long-life1915 1676 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 11 645 It was believed, that these long-lived Vegetables had..somewhat of the nature of Perennial Fountains. 1699 L. Wafer New Voy. & Descr. Isthmus Amer. 48 Rivers, Brooks, and Perennial Springs. 1713 W. Derham Physico-theol. ii. v. 50 There is such a Thing as Subterraneous Heat..As is manifest from the smoking of perennial Fountains in frosty Weather. 1854 H. D. Thoreau Walden 463 A perennial spring in the midst of pine and oak woods. 1879 A. R. Wallace Australasia xvi. 309 Their rapid flow and perennial supply of water are excellently adapted for irrigation. 1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 955/2 There are no rivers and few perennial streams in the islands. 1973 Times 22 Mar. (Pakistan Suppl.) p. xi/4 10 million acres are served by ‘perennial’ canals (that is, canals which never dry up). 1990 Indian Express (Cochin) 24 Jan. 7/6 This river which was perennial is drying up. c. Ecology. Of a planktonic organism: present at all seasons. ΚΠ 1900 Science 16 Feb. 256/2 The plankton being composed of a few hibernal and a smaller number of perennial species principally of Rhizopoda, Copepoda and Rotifera. 1958 Ecology 39 548/2 There is a difference between the perennial species [of plankton] and the uniseasonal ones, the last..having..more expressive pulses at the convenient time. 2002 Turkish Jrnl. Zool. 26 341 [The rotifers] P. vulgaris and A. priodonta were determined to be perennial species for this dam's lake. d. Medicine. Of an allergic condition: present at all seasons. ΚΠ 1920 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 75 782/2 Those patients who have perennial hay-fever due to animal emanations, foods and pollens. 1966 Ann. Allergy 24 150/1 One of the most difficult of the allergic diseases to control adequately is perennial allergic rhinitis. 1996 Pulse 20 Apr. 78 (advt.) Rapitil is indicated for the prevention, relief and treatment of allergic conjunctivitis, including..perennial allergic conjunctivitis. 2. a. Of plants, their roots, etc.: remaining alive for a number of years; spec. designating a herbaceous plant that dies down above ground and sends up fresh growth every year. Frequently in the names of plants. Cf. annual adj. 7a, biennial adj. 1b. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > by age or cycles > [adjective] > perennial perennal?c1500 everlasting1578 perennial1669 vivacious1682 rhizocarpic1829 rhizocarpous1832 perpetual1837 perennating1888 1669 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 4 935 The singular care and Skil of our Author; who in this Catalogue hath..by certain marks distinguish't the Perennial ones from the Annual. 1673 N. Grew Idea Phytol. Hist. ii. i. 59 In what particular way some Roots become perennial. Some are wholly so, as those of Trees, Shrubs, and divers woody Plants. 1721 R. Bradley Philos. Acct. Wks. Nature 34 These..may again be distinguished by being Annual, or Perennial and Vivaceous. 1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. iii. xxiii. 229 In warm Regions, Plants that are annual with us will become perennial or arborescent. 1811 A. T. Thomson London Dispensatory ii. 309 The root is perennial, creeping, woody, and tortuous. 1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon II. 433 The perennial sweet-pea which she had planted. 1937 Amer. Home Apr. 151/1 (advt.) Sow Scott's Lawn Seed. It's freer from weeds and contains deep-rooting perennial grasses. 1974 Country Life 17 Jan. 72/3 George Russell, a Yorkshire gardener, was attempting to improve the perennial lupin. 1990 Field Feb. 39/2 Artichokes.., being perennial,..can provide a very useful long-term cover crop. b. Lasting through a succession of years, or through a long, indefinite, or infinite time; continual, perpetual; enduring, everlasting. perennial philosophy n. = philosophia perennis n. ΘΚΠ the world > time > duration > eternity or infinite duration > [adjective] echec825 echelichc825 endlessc888 lastinga1225 everlastingc1225 perdurablec1275 perpetuala1325 unendeda1325 incorruptiblea1340 ay-lastingc1340 inlastingc1340 eternec1366 interminablec1374 unstanchablec1374 ever-duringa1382 eternalc1386 sempitern1390 never-failinga1400 sempiternal14.. ever-being?a1425 ever-durable?a1425 immarcescible?a1475 perennal?c1500 deathless1547 everlastable1548 incessant1557 unperishing1561 undeterminable1581 evera1586 unendlya1586 inexterminable1592 never-ending?1592 aeviternal1596 dateless1597 undecaying1599 entombless1601 perishless1605 ageless1609 continual1610 perpetuous1612 imperible1614 ne'er-endinga1616 out-date1623 undated1624 perennious1628 immortal1630 imperishable1648 birthless1651 fadeless1652 sempiternous1653 evergreen1655 intemporal1656 indefectible1659 inconclusible1660 unending1661 aeonian1664 unfading1665 sempervirent1668 amaranthal1674 ne'er-dying1693 perennial1717 timeless1742 indefeatablea1754 amaranthine1782 aeonial1800 unterminating1821 unevanescent1827 ay1845 forever1879 sempervirid1909 the mind > mental capacity > philosophy > [noun] > alleged central core of truths philosophia perennis1858 perennial philosophy1962 1717 J. Dryden et al. Metamorphoses xv. 545 There, on perennial Adamant design'd, The various Fortunes of your Race you'll find. 1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 72. ⁋3 A constant and perennial softness of manner. 1798 J. Cranch Let. 28 May in G. Steevens Corr. (MS, Folger Libr.) Whether honest Thomas were any way allied to that perennial stock which has so long furnished England. 1839 T. Carlyle Chartism iv. 25 A government and guidance of white European men which has issued in perennial hunger of potatoes to the third man extant. 1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. x. 90 Perennial youth is in her artificial flowers. 1879 Fortn. Rev. Apr. 507 Men, forgetful of the perennial poetry of the world, muck-raking in a litter of fugitive refuse. 1919 W. A. Cull At all Costs 10 There was the perennial problem of the little nuisances of life. 1962 E. Wynne-Tyson Philos. of Compassion 3 The most fundamental difference between the teachings of the western religions and those of the perennial philosophy and of the original Creed of Christ. 1989 O. V. Vijayan After the Hanging 36 The Priest asked the Astrologer, ‘Tell me, brother, is our servitude perennial?’ c. Recurring year after year; annual. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > time > period > year > [adjective] > yearly or annual yearlyOE annal1503 annual1529 anniversary1552 solennic1623 quotannal1651 solennial1656 quotannual1658 perennial1845 year-to-year1852 quotennial1878 1845 J. R. McCulloch Treat. Taxation i. iv. 130 The difference between A's actual income of 1000l. and the corresponding perennial income of 660l., that is, 340l., will, if accumulated for twenty-seven years and a half, at 4 per cent., produce 16,500l. 1983 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 6 Nov. 11nj 22/5 Two perennial events have achieved the equivalent of ‘landmark status’ among benefit shows. 1993 Hamilton (Ont.) Spectator (Nexis) 5 Apr. b3 The perennial celebration of Passover reminds each generation of the struggle of their people. †d. Zoology. Of teeth: growing continually throughout life, as the incisors of a rodent. Obsolete. rare.Apparently only attested in dictionaries or glossaries. ΚΠ 1890 Cent. Dict. Perennial,..in zoöl., growing continually: noting teeth which have the pulp-cavity open, and grow indefinitely from persistent pulps: as, the perennial incisors of a rodent. e. Entomology. (Of a social insect) forming colonies which persist from year to year; (of an insect colony) persisting from year to year. ΚΠ 1890 Cent. Dict. Perennial,..in entom., forming colonies which are continued from year to year, as the ants, bees, and termites. 1927 Sci. Monthly Aug. 130 The tropical Epiponinæ..often form large perennial colonies. 1999 Amer. Naturalist 154 417 (title) Queen–worker conflict over sexual production and colony maintenance in perennial social insects. f. Zoology. Of an animal or a developmental stage: living or persisting for more than one year. rare. ΚΠ 1890 Cent. Dict. Perennial,..in entom.,..also, living more than one year, as an insect. 1955 T. I. Storer & R. L. Usinger Elements Zool. xxvi. 448 Some ambystomid salamanders produce perennial larvae that reach adult size and breed while retaining the gills and other larval features. B. n. 1. A perennial plant: see sense A. 2a. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > by age or cycles > [noun] > perennial perenniala1678 perpetualc1710 a1678 T. Hanmer Garden Bk. (1933) 5 Of Fibrous Perennials we have the Gilliflower, Stocke Gilliflower. 1763 J. Mills New Syst. Pract. Husbandry II. 413 It may destroy annual plants, such as corn, entirely; but in perennials, like grass, it destroys only the leaves or blades. 1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xxvi. 397 Doronicum or Leopard's-bane,..now common among the perennials of the garden, has the scales of the calyx in two rows. 1819 Amer. Farmer 4 June 77 Cut off close to the ground, all decaying flower stems of perennials, except such as are intended to save seed from. 1880 A. Gray Struct. Bot. iii. §1. 32 Perennials are plants which live and blossom or fructify year after year. They may or may not have perennial roots. 1925 Today's Housewife Feb. 30/3 Bleeding heart, columbines, campanulas and a host of other hardy perennials may be used. 1974 A. J. Huxley Plant & Planet xx. 221 Many perennials get through this by dying down to a root-clump. 1995 Garden (Royal Hort. Soc.) Nov. 695/2 Newly emerged perennials, deciduous trees and shrubs share a vulnerability to cold in maritime climates where spring is unpredictable. 2. In extended use: something that remains fresh or lasts perennially. Now esp.: a perennial problem. ΘΚΠ the world > time > duration > [noun] > long duration or lasting through time > something having long duration a work of time1622 perennial1748 marathon1915 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. xxiii. 205 Such a gentleman, or such a lady, is an annual—Such a one a perennial. 1771 E. Griffith Hist. Lady Barton III. 65 She..told me that..the most constant lovers were not to be considered more than perennials. 1827 C. Lamb Let. 20 Jan. (1935) III. 67 His jokes..were old trusty perennials,..always as good as new. 1889 Pall Mall Gaz. 31 July 3/2 Belonging to the annuals rather than the perennials of poetry. 1978 J. Pudney Thank Goodness for Cake 115 Divorce is not just an incident but a long-term perennial, influencing even grandchildren. 1995 Accountancy Nov. 103/1 There is also some need for clarification on..the thorny perennial of how to define distributable profits. Compounds perennial ryegrass n. the ryegrass Lolium perenne, widely used in pastures, as a hard-wearing component of lawns, and as a catch crop. ΚΠ ?1830 P. Sellar Kyle in Ayrshire 38 in Farm-rep. The only grass sown in this district is perennial rye grass, the very worst for pasture, as cattle reject its shot stalks. 1914 A. H. Sanders Hist. Herefords i. 30 The principal grasses now used in forming a permanent pasture are perennial rye grass, the various kinds of fescue, [etc.]. 2003 Farmers Guardian 14 Mar. 75/1 (advt.) Catch crops such as perennial ryegrass and red fescue..take up nitrogen from the soil during periods when there is no main crop growing. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < adj.n.c1660
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