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

That wouldn’t make much of a dent in the annual cost of Medicaid’s coverage of its 72 million beneficiaries, which came to about $853 billion last year.

From Los Angeles Times

It was hosted by Ipswich education and music promoter, Brighten The Corners, which runs an annual multi-venue music festival in the town.

From BBC

Their annual income is often modest, they point out - and they don’t value their farm in numerical terms, but in emotional ones.

From BBC

Andrew Ross Sorkin is a columnist and the founder of DealBook, the flagship business and policy newsletter at The Times and an annual conference.

From New York Times

“This is not unique to this building — annual rent increases are normal and to be expected at Low-Income Housing Tax Credit projects,” the response from management read.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• yearlong