Money that is payable yearly or on some regular basis, or a contract providing for such payment.

Annuities are handy things to have when you retire, since they provide an income on an *annual* basis or more frequently. Annuities are normally contracts with life-insurance companies that specify that payments begin at retirement. Company pensions are traditionally doled out in the form of annuities, and sweepstakes jackpots may also come as annuities. An annuity can be a wise idea if you think you're going to live a long time; however, annuities can be tricky and should only be purchased after carefully comparing the products offered by various companies.

(1) Outworn, old-fashioned, or out-of-date. (2) Forced to retire because of old age or infirmity.

A superannuated style is out-of-date—its time has come and gone. And a person who has passed an age limit and been forced to retire may technically be called superannuated. But more often *superannuated* describes people who seem somehow to belong to the past. So a 55-year-old surfer might be regarded as superannuated by the young crowd riding the waves in Santa Cruz, and a superannuated hippie might still be dressing the way he did in 1972.

(1) A period of time lasting 1,000 years, or the celebration of a 1,000-year anniversary. (2) A period of great happiness and perfection on earth.

Since in Latin *mille* means “thousand” (see MILL), a millennium lasts 1,000 years. Thus, we're living today at the beginning of the third millennium since the birth of Christ. But some religious sects, relying on a prophecy in the biblical Book of Revelation, speak of a coming millennium when Jesus will return to reign on earth for 1,000 years, evil will be banished, and all will live in peace and happiness. Members of these sects who keep themselves in a constant state of preparedness are called *millenarians* or *millennialists.*

(1) Continuing to grow for several years. (2) Enduring or continuing without interruption.

A perennial garden is full of *perennials* like delphiniums and asters, flowers that continue to bloom year after year. (*Annuals*, by contrast, grow for only a single season and must be replanted *annually*, and *biennials* die after two years.) Evergreens are *perennially* green; for that reason, they're perennial favorites for Christmas wreaths and decorations. In a similar way, taxes are a perennial political issue; and a perennial political candidate may come back over and over claiming he's the only one who can save us from them.

Having the same age or lasting the same amount of time; contemporary.

*Coeval* usually describes things that existed together for a very long time or that originated at the same time in the distant past. Thus, astronomers might speak of one galaxy as being coeval with another, and a period in the history of one civilization might be coeval with a similar period in another. As a noun, however, *coeval* may describe people as well; so, for example, two artists who lived and worked at the same time might be described as *coevals*.

(1) A long duration of life. (2) Length of life; long continuance.

As living conditions improve and the science of medicine advances, the longevity of the average American has increased greatly, from about 45 years in 1900 to over 75 years today. But the most impressive human longevity is nothing compared to the 400-year lifespan of an ocean clam found near Iceland, or the 5,000-year lifespan of the bristlecone pine, a tree found in the western U.S. We may use *longevity* to talk not only about actual lives but also of the useful “life” of things: the life of your car's tires or the shingles on your roof, for example.

(1) Relating to the Middle Ages of European history, from about A.D. 500 to 1500. (2) Extremely out-of-date.

With its roots *medi-*, meaning “middle,” and *ev-*, meaning “age,” *medieval* literally means “of the Middle Ages.” In this case, *middle* means “between the Roman empire and the Renaissance”—that is, after the fall of the great Roman state and before the “rebirth” of culture that we call the Renaissance. This same period used to be called the “Dark Ages,” since it was believed that in these years civilization all but vanished. And indeed, for most Europeans in these centuries, it was a time of poverty, famine, plague, and superstition, rather than the age of magic, dazzling swordplay, towering castles, and knights in splendid armor displayed in today's graphic novels and video games.

(1) Having to do with the earliest ages; primitive or ancient. (2) Existing from the beginning.

With its *prim-* prefix, meaning “first,” *primeval* obviously refers to an original age. So the word often suggests the earliest periods in the earth's history. Myths are often stories of the creation of the world and of its primeval beings. The trees in a primeval forest (few of which remain today in most countries) may be 400 years old—not as old as the world, but maybe as old as they ever live to. According to scientists, life on earth began in the protein-rich waters of the primeval seas and swamps, and the decay of their tiny organisms and plant matter over millions of years produced our petroleum and coal.