impermanence

English

Etymology

From Middle French impermanence, equivalent to im- +‎ permanence.

Noun

impermanence (usually uncountable, plural impermanences)

1. Lack of permanence or continued duration.
2. The quality or state of being impermanent.

   Synonyms: ephemerality, temporariness; see also Thesaurus:transience

   • 1971, “Changes”, in Hunky Dory, performed by David Bowie:

     I watch the ripples change their size / But never leave the stream of warm impermanence and / So the days float through my eyes / But still the days seem the same

3. (Buddhism) Anicca, the doctrine which asserts that all of conditioned existence is transient.

Translations

lack of permanence

• Bulgarian: непостоянство (bg) (nepostojanstvo), неустойчивост (bg) m (neustojčivost)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無常／无常 (zh) (wúcháng)

• Finnish: pysymättömyys
• Greek: παροδικότητα (el) f (parodikótita)
• Irish: díomuaine f, neamhbhuaine f
• Manx: neuveaynid m
• Portuguese: impermanência f
• Spanish: impermanencia f

quality or state of being impermanent

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無常／无常 (zh) (wúcháng)

• Finnish: pysymättömyys
• Greek: παροδικότητα (el) f (parodikótita)
• Irish: díomuaine f, neamhbhuaine f
• Manx: neuveaynid m
• Portuguese: impermanência f
• Spanish: impermanencia f

anicca

• Vietnamese: vô thường (vi)

Further reading

• “impermanence”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

French

Etymology

From in- +‎ permanence.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.pɛʁ.ma.nɑ̃s/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

impermanence f (plural impermanences)

1. impermanence (state of being impermanent)

Further reading

• “impermanence”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.