evergreen

Etymology

From ever + green.

adj

1. Of plants, especially trees, that do not shed their leaves seasonally.
   ...these three little creeping vines put forth their hands with joy, and spread over rock and hillock and twisted tree-root and mouldering log, in cloaks and scarves and wreaths of tiny evergreen, glossy leaves. 1902, Henry Van Dyke, The Blue Flower
2. (often figurative) Continually fresh or self-renewing.
   1. (contracts) Being a clause which causes an automatic renewal of a contract unless action is taken.
   2. (computing) Of a document, a piece of software, or a data set: kept continually up to date (as opposed to being published at regular intervals and outdated in the meantime)
      Chrome and Firefox are evergreen browsers: they update automatically and version numbers are only used for internal reference. 2014, Peter Gasston, Book of CSS3, 2nd Edition: A Developer's Guide to the Future of Web Design, No Starch Press, page 257
3. (broadcasting) Suitable for transmission at any time; not urgent or time-dependent.
   Another change in the news was emphasis on “evergreen” features involving attractive children or animals, parades or fireworks, as well as local developments. 2001, Christopher H Sterling, John M Kittross, Stay Tuned, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, page 654

noun

1. A shrub or tree that does not shed its leaves or needles seasonally.
2. (specifically, informal) A conifer tree.
   The spruce and fir trees crowded to the track on each side to welcome us, the arbor- vitae, with its changing leaves, prompted us to make haste, and the sight of the canoe-birch gave us spirits to do so. Sometimes an evergreen just fallen lay across the track with its rich burden of cones, looking, still, fuller of life than our trees in the most favorable positions. 1858, Henry David Thoreau, The Maine Woods
   Deep down in Louisiana, close to New Orleans, / Way back up in the woods among the evergreens, / There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood / Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode 31 March 1958, Chuck Berry (lyrics and music), “Johnny B. Goode”, performed by Chuck Berry
3. (mass media, informal) A news story that can be published or broadcast at any time.

verb

1. (patent">patent law, pharmaceuticals) To extend the term of a patent">patent beyond the normal legal limit, usually through repeated small modifications.
2. (banking) To set the repayment rate of a loan at or below the interest rate, so low that the principal will never be repaid.