perpetuity
Americannoun
plural
perpetuities-
the state or character of being perpetual (often preceded byin ).
to desire happiness in perpetuity.
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endless or indefinitely long duration or existence; eternity.
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something that is perpetual.
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an annuity paid for life.
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Law. an interest under which property is less than completely alienable for longer than the law allows.
noun
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eternity
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the state or quality of being perpetual
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property law a limitation preventing the absolute disposal of an estate for longer than the period allowed by law
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an annuity with no maturity date and payable indefinitely
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for ever
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of perpetuity
1375–1425; late Middle English perpetuite < Latin perpetuitās. See perpetual, -ity
Explanation
The word perpetuity means "the property of lasting forever." The perpetuity of an eternal flame means that it will burn endlessly, while an ordinary candle flame will eventually extinguish. Anything in perpetuity keeps on going and going and going. If you crash the family car and your parents ban you from driving it in perpetuity, you’re never driving that car again. First appearing in the 15th century, the noun perpetuity derives from the Latin word perpetuus meaning "continuing throughout."
Vocabulary lists containing perpetuity
Vocabulary from the Magna Carta on its 800th Anniversary
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"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner
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Lincoln Inaugural Address (March 1861)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Perpetuity, should it win the day, belongs only to the curse.
From Golf Digest • Feb. 20, 2019
Said Rockefeller: "Perpetuity is a pretty long time."
From Time Magazine Archive
Perpetuity of the Union, danger to, foreshadowed, 185.
From The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government by Davis, Jefferson
Perpetuity, not infallibility, is the sign of inspiration.
From Orthodoxy: Its Truths And Errors by Clarke, James Freeman
So also their subjects address them by the titles of "Your Perpetuity, your Eternity."
From Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 1 by Disraeli, Isaac
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
