I. pəˈrenēəl, -nyəl adjective
Etymology: 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