1. Recurring, done, or performed every year; yearly: an annual medical examination.
2. Of, relating to, or determined by a year: an annual income.
3. Botany Living or growing for only one year or season.
1. A periodical published yearly; a yearbook.
2. Botany A plant that completes its entire life cycle in a single growing season.
[Middle English annuel, from Old French, from Late Latin annuālis, ultimately from Latin annus, year; see at- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.