perennial

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 16, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>perennial</strong> &#149; \puh-REN-ee-ul\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Perennial</em> is used to describe things that exist or continue in the same way or state for a long time, as well as things that happen again and again. In botany, <em>perennial</em> describes plants whose life cycles are more than two years long, as in "oregano is <em>perennial</em>." The noun <em>perennial</em> is also used in botany, as in "oregano is a <em>perennial</em>."</p> <p>// Parking is a <em>perennial</em> problem in the quaint seaside town, especially during the summer.</p> <p>// Hot dogs are a <em>perennial</em> favorite at barbecues.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perennial">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Wild violets (<em>Viola papilionacea, Viola sororal, Viola pubescens</em> and other species) are a close relative of violas, pansies and other garden flowers. While some people view this plant as a fine wildflower, others regard it as a stubborn <em>perennial</em> lawn weed." — Kym Pokorny, <em>OregonLive.com</em>, 6 May 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>When you hear <em>perennial</em>, you probably think of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peony">peonies</a> rather than pines. The word today typically describes (or, as a noun, refers to) plants that die back seasonally but produce new growth in the spring. But this wasn’t the word’s initial meaning: originally, <em>perennial</em> was equivalent to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evergreen"><em>evergreen</em></a>, used, as that word is, for plants that remain with us all year. We took this "throughout the year" sense straight from the Romans, whose Latin word <em>perennis</em> combined <em>per-</em> ("thro