*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of annual

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂et- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *h₂etnós Proto-Italic *atnos? Latin annus Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Italic *-wos Latin -uus Latin annuus Proto-Indo-European *

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

An annual publication; a book, periodical, journal, report, comic book, yearbook, etc., which is published serially once a year, which may or may not be in addition to regular weekly or monthly publication. · An annual plant; a plant with a life span of just one growing season; a plant which naturally germinates, flowers and dies in one year. Compare biennial, perennial. · A medical checkup taking place once a year. · A pantomime taking place once a year.

adj

Happening once every year. · Of, for, or relating to a whole year, often as a recurring cycle; determined or reckoned by the year; accumulating in the course of a year; performed, executed, or completed over the course of a year. See also circannual. · Having a life cycle that is completed in only one growing season, e.g., beans, corn, marigold. See Annual plant in Wikipedia. Compare biennial, perennial. · Living or lasting just one season or year, as certain insects or insect colonies.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂et- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *h₂etnós Proto-Italic *atnos? Latin annus Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Italic *-wos Latin -uus Latin annuus Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin annuālisbor. Anglo-Norman anuelbor. ▲ Old French anuel Middle French annuelbor. Middle English annuel English annual First attested around 1382 as Middle English annuel, from Late Latin annuālem, annuālis, related to Latin annālis, adjective form of annus (“year”). Used to categorize plants since 1710.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:annuel",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂et-\nProto-Indo-European *-nós\nProto-Indo-European *h₂etnós\nProto-Italic *atnos?\nLatin annus\nProto-Indo-European *-wós\nProto-Italic *-wos\nLatin -uus\nLatin annuus\nProto-Indo-European *h₂el-\nProto-Indo-European *-is\nProto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?\nProto-Italic *-ālis\nLatin -ālis\nLatin annuālisbor.\nAnglo-Norman anuelbor.\n▲\nOld French anuel\nMiddle French annuelbor.\nMiddle English annuel\nEnglish annual\n[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"year\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*h₂etnós\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"but\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂et-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"alt\" : \"*-nós\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"children\" : [ ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*atnos\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"annus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-wós\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-wos\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-uus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"annuus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"alt\" : \"*h₂élis\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"grow\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂el-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-is\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*-ālis\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"-ālis\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"annuālis\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Anglo-Norman\", \"term\" : \"anuel\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"xno\" }, { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_duplicate\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"anuel\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle French\", \"term\" : \"annuel\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"frm\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"annuel\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"annual\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"annual\">"
    },
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      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "annuel"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English annuel"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "annuālem"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin annuālem"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "annālis"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin annālis"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:annuel",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂et-\nProto-Indo-European *-nós\nProto-Indo-European *h₂etnós\nProto-Italic *atnos?\nLatin annus\nProto-Indo-European *-wós\nProto-Italic *-wos\nLatin -uus\nLatin annuus\nProto-Indo-European *h₂el-\nProto-Indo-European *-is\nProto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?\nProto-Italic *-ālis\nLatin -ālis\nLatin annuālisbor.\nAnglo-Norman anuelbor.\n▲\nOld French anuel\nMiddle French annuelbor.\nMiddle English annuel\nEnglish annual"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂et-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂et-#Proto-Indo-European:_but"
    ],
    [
      "*atnos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/atnos"
    ],
    [
      "annus",
      "annus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*-wós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-wós"
    ],
    [
      "*-wos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-wos"
    ],
    [
      "-uus",
      "-uus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "annuus",
      "annuus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "*h₂el-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂el-#Proto-Indo-European:_grow"
    ],
    [
      "*-is",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-is"
    ],
    [
      "*-ālis",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/-ālis"
    ],
    [
      "-ālis",
      "-alis#Latin"
    ],
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      "annualis#Latin"
    ],
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      "anuel#Old_French"
    ],
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      "anuel",
      "anuel#Old_French"
    ],
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      "annuel",
      "annuel#Middle_French"
    ],
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      "annuel",
      "annuel#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "annuel",
      "annuel#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "annuālem",
      "annualem#Latin"
    ],
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      "annuālis",
      "annualis#Latin"
    ],
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      "annālis",
      "annalis#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "annus",
      "annus#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An annual publication; a book, periodical, journal, report, comic book, yearbook, etc., which is published serially once a year, which may or may not be in addition to regular weekly or monthly publication.",
        "An annual plant; a plant with a life span of just one growing season; a plant which naturally germinates, flowers and dies in one year. Compare biennial, perennial.",
        "A medical checkup taking place once a year.",
        "A pantomime taking place once a year."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 161731
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Happening once every year.",
        "Of, for, or relating to a whole year, often as a recurring cycle; determined or reckoned by the year; accumulating in the course of a year; performed, executed, or completed over the course of a year. See also circannual.",
        "Having a life cycle that is completed in only one growing season, e.g., beans, corn, marigold. See Annual plant in Wikipedia. Compare biennial, perennial.",
        "Living or lasting just one season or year, as certain insects or insect colonies."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "44a369e64e5d78f3d0796f0eccb3d9f0e11fdce1ab5d3d066ed9accbf145eb37",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0b00ea9fce8f88bd9c8d984f8a594c18094e719c7f5941feadcca4a8dd3adff7",
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for annual →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
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