Definition of "evergreen"

evergreen

/ˈɛvəɡɹiːn/

adjective
not comparable
1. Of plants, especially trees, that do not shed their leaves seasonally.
  Quotations
  ...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 figuratively) 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a piece of software, or a data set: kept continually up to date (as opposed to being published at regular intervals and outdated in the meantime)
    Quotations
    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.
  Quotations
  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
plural evergreens
1. A shrub or tree that does not shed its leaves or needles seasonally.
  Quotations
  The lawn before them was gay with evergreens, relieved by the first few flowers and fresh turf of the reviving Spring; […]
  1838, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter I, in Alice or The Mysteries […], volume I, London: Saunders and Otley, […], book I, page 3
  Husband and wife walked till they had reached the house they were in search of, which stood in a terrace facing the sea, and was fronted by a small garden of wind-proof and salt-proof evergreens, stone steps leading up to the porch.
  1912, Thomas Hardy, “An Imaginative Woman”, in Life’s Little Ironies […], New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, page 5
2. (specifically, informal) A conifer tree.
  Quotations
  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
  1958 March 31, 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
third-person singular simple present evergreens, present participle evergreening, simple past and past participle evergreened
1. (patent law, pharmaceuticals) To extend the term of a 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.