perpetual

[per-pech-oo-uh l] /pərˈpɛtʃ u əl/

adjective

continuing or enduring forever; everlasting.

lasting an indefinitely long time:

perpetual snow.

continuing or continued without intermission or interruption; ceaseless:

a perpetual stream of visitors all day.

blooming almost continuously throughout the season or the year.

noun

a hybrid rose that is perpetual.

a perennial plant.

Origin

1300-50; late Middle English perpetuall < Latin perpetuālis permanent, equivalent to perpetu(us) uninterrupted (per- per- + pet-, base of petere to seek, reach for + -uus deverbal adj. suffix) + -ālis -al¹; replacing Middle English perpetuel < Middle French < Latin as above

Related forms

perpetuality, perpetualness, noun

perpetually, adverb

nonperpetual, adjective

nonperpetually, adverb

quasi-perpetual, adjective

quasi-perpetually, adverb

Synonyms

1. permanent, enduring. See eternal. 3. continuous, incessant, constant, unending, uninterrupted.

Antonyms

1. temporary. 3. discontinuous.

Examples from the web for perpetual

Forget about that perpetual grin made famous by “Flipper” in the 60s.
Another perpetual concern is the volume of e-mail that arrives at the individual sites.
Believe it or not it is a perpetual power machine.
In areas where there is a perpetual moisture problem, do not install carpeting.
There is a perpetual rainbow at the foot of the falls.
Through the many horrors chronicled in this book, that renewal is a perpetual promise.
How did they endure months of perpetual cold and dark?
In the extreme tropics there are no winters or springs, only perpetual midsummer.
But they had the perpetual giggles while shooting scenes together.
The boy wears a striped shirt; his nose, like the gnomon of a sundial, casts a perpetual shadow across his round face.

British Dictionary definitions for perpetual

perpetual

/pəˈpɛtjʊəl/

adjective

(usually prenominal) eternal; permanent

(usually prenominal) seemingly ceaseless because often repeated: your perpetual complaints

(horticulture) blooming throughout the growing season or year

noun

(of a crop plant) continually producing edible parts: perpetual spinach

a plant that blooms throughout the growing season

Derived Forms

perpetually, adverb

Word Origin

C14: via Old French from Latin perpetuālis universal, from perpes continuous, from per- (thoroughly) + petere to go towards

Word Origin and History for perpetual

adj.

mid-14c., from Old French perpetuel "without end" (12c.) and directly from Latin perpetualis "universal," in Medieval Latin "permanent," from perpetuus "continuous, universal," from perpetis, genitive of Old Latin perpes "lasting," probably from per- "through" + root of petere "to seek, go to, aim at" (see petition (n.)). Related: Perpetually. Perpetual motion is attested from 1590s.