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of, for, or pertaining to a year; yearly:
annual salary.
occurring or returning once a year:
an annual celebration.
botany. living only one growing season, as beans or corn.
performed or executed during a year:
the annual course of the sun.
entomology. living or lasting but one season or year, as certain insects or colonies of insects.
botany. a plant living only one year or season.
a book, report, etc., published annually.
historical examples

regimental annuals of a humorous kind existed but were not encouraged.
g. h. q. frank fox

this is one of the most fragrant flowers we have among the annuals.
amateur gardencraft eben e. rexford

this will cause less disturbance in the garden than the sowing of annuals in with the perennials.
the library of work and play: gardening and farming. ellen eddy shaw

moore told me that the editor of one of the annuals offered him 600ℓ.
the greville memoirs charles c. f. greville

there appeared to be a pretty good collection of hardy perennials and annuals, but few shrubs, or ornamental trees.
journal of a horticultural tour through germany, belgium, and part of france, in the autumn of 1835 james forbes

annuals, both foreign and domestic, are every year improving.
the knickerbocker, vol. 10, no. 6, december 1837 various

the annuals merely require to be sown in the open in spring.
gardening for the million alfred pink

the first week in june is the time to transplant all annuals.
a woman’s hardy garden helena rutherfurd ely

the perennial species are very showy, having almost as wide a range of color as the annuals.
the practical garden-book c. e. hunn

we have planted our bulbs and sowed our autumn annuals for spring gardening.
a year in a lancashire garden henry arthur bright

adjective
occurring, done, etc, once a year or every year; yearly: an annual income
lasting for a year: an annual subscription
noun
a plant that completes its life cycle in less than one year compare perennial (sense 3), biennial (sense 3)
a book, magazine, etc, published once every year
adj.

late 14c., from old french annuel (12c.) or directly from late latin annualem (nominative annualis), corresponding to latin annalis as adjective form of annus “year,” from pie -at-no-, from root -at- “to go,” on notion of “period gone through” (cf. sanskrit atati “goes, wanders,” gothic aþnam (dative plural) “year,” oscan akno- “year, holiday, time of offering”). used of plants since 1710.
n.

c.1400, originally “service commemorating the anniversary of a person’s death,” from annual (adj.). by 1824 as short for annual plant.
annual
(ān’y-əl)
adjective completing a life cycle in one growing season.

noun 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. compare biennial, perennial.