sempiternal

American  

[sem-pi-tur-nl] / ˌsɛm pɪˈtɜr nl /

adjective

Literary.

1. everlasting; eternal.

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sempiternal British  

/ ˌsɛmpɪˈtɜːnɪtɪ, ˌsɛmpɪˈtɜːnəl /

adjective

1. literary everlasting; eternal

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Other Word Forms

• sempiternally adverb
• sempiternity noun

Etymology

Origin of sempiternal

1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin sempiternālis, equivalent to Latin sempitern ( us ) everlasting semp ( er ) always + -i- -i- + -ternus suffix of temporal adjectives; see eterne) + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

When something is sempiternal, it seems like it's been around forever, like the rise and fall of the tide on the beach, or your love of chocolate. Sempiternal is useful for describing something endless, especially when you want to use an impressive word. Although it's often used the same way you'd use the word eternal, in philosophy there is a distinction between those terms. Eternal implies something that is infinite outside the bounds of time, like God, while sempiternal is a more earthbound way to talk about "forever." It's a bit of a redundant word formed from the Latin words meaning "always" and "eternal."

Example Sentences

The sempiternal nurdles, indestructible, swayed on and under the surface of the sea.

From The Guardian • Mar. 15, 2013

That is the sempiternal issue with which Enid Rudd has made her playwriting debut in this wry, observant, warm and almost steadily amusing comedy.

From Time Magazine Archive

Under "the Tree of Idleness" in the village square, the town greybeards sipped Turkish coffee and played a sempiternal game of cards.

From Time Magazine Archive

To Love is still another family comedy, the sempiternal soap opera of the theater.

From Time Magazine Archive

At church, at the altar, there were vestments of gold and the climbing voices of a Mozart mass, tossing rings sempiternal.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez