annums

Annum is a noun in English borrowed from the Latin annus, meaning "year." It refers to a one-year period or to the concept of a year used as a unit of time. In formal writing, especially financial, legal, and scientific contexts, annums or the phrase per annum may appear to denote annual rates or durations. The plural form annums exists in English but is uncommon; in most contexts, writers prefer "years" or, in rate expressions, keep per annum without pluralizing.

Per annum is a fixed Latin-derived expression used to indicate a rate or amount for one year. For example, interest might be described as 5% per annum, or a salary stated as a certain amount per annum. In contractual or financial documents, annums may appear in more formal or archaic phrases, though many writers modernize to "per year" or "annually" for clarity.

Etymology and related terms: annnum comes from Latin annus, the source of many related English forms. The adjective annual denotes something happening once a year, and annually is the corresponding adverb. In scientific and astronomical usage, annums is sometimes used to refer to a year as a unit, for instance when comparing durations such as sidereal or tropical years.

Overall, annums is a scholarly or formal way to denote a year or annual quantities, but in everyday language, "year," "annual," or "per year" are more common.