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

1. Completing a life cycle in one growing season.

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 perennial

Other Word Forms

• annually adverb
• interannual adjective
• interannually 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

Benchmark analyst Mark Palmer said that some critics of Strategy have cited the company’s annual outlays of $779 million to cover dividend and interest payments as a significant threat to the company’s existence.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr Male competed in this year's world championship and is also a commentator for the annual event.

Read more on BBC

Opening an annual meeting that brought together representatives from the countries that are part of the ICC, Tomoko Akane said: "Let me be explicit. We never accept any kind of pressure from anyone."

Read more on Barron's

The panel issue now threatens to interrupt an end-of-year scramble to meet the company’s annual production target.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The procedure was conducted at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as part of a second annual check-up.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• yearlong