Per Annum
/pər ˈæn.əm/noun
A Latin phrase meaning “for each year,” used to describe an annual rate or amount.
Did you know?Because *annum* comes from the same Indo-European root as *annual* and *anniversary*, this “dry” finance phrase is secretly built from one of the oldest time-words in European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂et-
“year, season”
Latin
Latin
annus
“year”
Latin
Latin
per annum
“for a year; by the year”
Middle English
English
per annum
“used in legal and financial writing for yearly rates”
Modern English
English
per annum
“per year; annually”