annual

[ an-yoo-uhl ]

adjective

1. of, for, or pertaining to a year; yearly:

   annual salary.

2. occurring or returning once a year:

   an annual celebration.

3. Botany. living only one growing season, as beans or corn.
4. performed or executed during a year:

   the annual course of the sun.

5. Entomology. living or lasting but one season or year, as certain insects or colonies of insects.

noun

1. Botany. a plant living only one year or season.
2. a book, report, etc., published annually.

annual

/ ˈænjʊəl /

adjective

1. occurring, done, etc, once a year or every year; yearly

   an annual income

2. lasting for a year

   an annual subscription

noun

1. a plant that completes its life cycle in less than one year Compare perennial biennial
2. a book, magazine, etc, published once every year

annual

/ ăn′yo̅o̅-əl /

Adjective

1. Completing a life cycle in one growing season.

Noun

1. An annual plant. Annuals germinate, blossom, produce seed, and die in one growing season. They are common in environments with short growing seasons. Most desert plants are annuals, germinating and flowering after rainfall. Many common weeds, wild flowers, garden flowers, and vegetables are annuals. Examples of annuals include tomatoes, corn, wheat, sunflowers, petunias, and zinnias.
2. Compare biennial

Derived Forms

• ˈannually, adverb

Other Words From

• annu·al·ly adverb
• inter·annu·al adjective
• inter·annu·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of annual¹

1350–1400; < Late Latin annuālis, equivalent to Latin annu ( us ) yearly (derivative of annus circuit of the sun, year) + -ālis -al ¹; replacing Middle English annuel < Anglo-French < Latin

Word History and Origins

Origin of annual¹

C14: from Late Latin annuālis, from Latin annuus yearly, from annus year

Example Sentences

House prices grew at their fastest annual pace for two years last month, according to the latest survey from Nationwide.

From BBC

But last Wednesday, housing minister Matthew Pennycook told a select committee the government would not be imposing national annual targets in the way suggested by Rayner.

From BBC

It has reached a point of an annual debate about what to do.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2022, the Department of Defense was unable to account for 60 percent of its assets, and recent audits have fared no better, even as the Pentagon's annual budget has crept toward a trillion dollars.

From Salon

For this year’s event, he started at Liverpool’s annual Santa Dash, where more than 8,000 participants ran along the city’s famous waterfront with him.

From BBC

Related Words

• yearlong