[pe.ren.ni.al] adj [L perennis, fr. per- throughout + annus year--more at per-, annual] (1644) 1: present at all seasons of the year
2: persisting for several years usu. with new herbaceous growth from a perennating part "~ asters" 3 a: persistent, enduring "~ traditions" b: continuing without interruption: constant, perpetual "the ~ quest for certainty" "a ~ student" c: regularly repeated or renewed: recurrent "death is a ~ literary theme" syn see continual -- perennial n -- pe.ren.ni.al.ly adv