'Perennial' is Latin for 'lasting through the years' — 'per-' (through) + 'annus' (year). It endures.
Lasting for an indefinitely long time; enduring. In botany: a plant that lives for more than two years. Recurring again and again.
From Latin perennis (lasting through the year, enduring, permanent, perpetual), composed of per- (through, throughout, completely) + annus (year). Per- is from PIE *per- (through, forward, beyond). Annus (year) is from Proto-Indo-European *h₂et-no- (a going, a year), from *h₂et- (to go) — the year conceived as a thing that passes, one complete circuit of the sun. The
In gardening, the distinction between annuals, biennials, and perennials maps directly onto Latin number prefixes plus 'annus' (year). An annual lives for one year. A biennial lives for two years. A perennial lives through the years — indefinitely. The botanical terminology is transparent Latin: it tells