perpetual
[ per-pech-oo-uhl ]
/ 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.
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“I do believe that the buck stops here, that I cannot rely upon public opinion polls to tell me what is right. I do believe that right makes might and that if I am wrong, 10 angels swearing I was right would make no difference.”
Origin of perpetual
First recorded in 1300–50; late Middle English perpetuall, from Latin perpetuālis “permanent, universal, general,” equivalent to perpetu(us) “continuous, uninterrupted” (per- “through, thoroughly” + pet-, base of petere “to seek, reach for” + -uus adjective suffix derived from a verb) + -ālis adjective suffix; replacing Middle English perpetuel, from Middle French, from Latin as above; see per-, -al1
SYNONYMS FOR perpetual
synonym study for perpetual
1. See eternal.
OTHER WORDS FROM perpetual
Words nearby perpetual
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for perpetual
British Dictionary definitions for perpetual
perpetual
/ (pəˈpɛtjʊəl) /
adjective
(usually prenominal) eternal; permanent
(usually prenominal) seemingly ceaseless because often repeatedyour 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 of perpetual
perpetually, adverbWord Origin for perpetual
C14: via Old French from Latin perpetuālis universal, from perpes continuous, from per- (thoroughly) + petere to go towards
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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