perpetual

English

Alternative forms

• perpetuall (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English perpetuel, from Old French perpetuel, from Latin perpetuālis (“universal”), from perpetuus, from petō.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɚˈpɛt͡ʃuəl/
• IPA^(key): /pəˈpɛtʃʊəl/, /pəˈpɛtjʊəl/
• Hyphenation: per‧pet‧u‧al

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

perpetual (not comparable)

1. Lasting forever, or for an indefinitely long time

   Synonyms: continuant, persistent

2. Set up to be in effect or have tenure for an unlimited duration
3. Continuing; uninterrupted

   Synonyms: continuous, nonstop

   • 1834, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Francesca Carrara, volume 2, page 297:

     "And yet," returned Francesca, "the secret of Arden's sufferings seems to have been in himself. From earliest youth he indulged in vain contrasts and repinings, and even his very love was selfish and cruel. Think how much happiness he lost by his perpetual exaggerations!"

   • 1986 June 6, Richard Feynman, “Personal observations on the reliability of the Shuttle”, in Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident, Report to the President:

     There are perpetual requests for changes as new payloads and new demands and modifications are suggested by the users.

4. (botany) Flowering throughout the growing season

   By means of artificial hybridization, practised for a series of years, he has succeeded in producing a race of carnations which are perpetual bloomers.

   The hybrid perpetual roses as a rule require to be pruned to within 4 to 6 inches of the ground.

Derived terms

• perpetual motion
• perpetual motion machine
• perpetual motion machine of the second kind

Related terms

• perpetuate

Translations

lasting forever

• Bulgarian: вечен (bg) (večen), безкраен (bg) (bezkraen)
• Catalan: perpetu (ca), perpetual (ca)
• Danish: evig (da)
• Dutch: eeuwig (nl), eeuwigdurend (nl)
• Finnish: ikuinen (fi), päättymätön (fi)
• French: perpétuel (fr) m
• Galician: perpetuo
• German: unbefristet (de), ewig (de), immerwährend (de), unaufhörlich (de), dauerhaft (de), permanent (de)
• Greek: παντοτινός (el) (pantotinós)

  Ancient: αἰώνιος (aiṓnios)

• Hungarian: örökös (hu), örökké tartó
• Indonesian: abadi (id)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Irish: síoraí
• Italian: perpetuo (it)
• Korean: 영구의 (yeongguui)
• Latin: aeternus (la), perpetuus (la), sempiternus
• Maori: mutungakore
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: evigvarende

• Old English: ēċe
• Polish: wieczny (pl) m
• Portuguese: perpétuo (pt)
• Romanian: perpetuu (ro)
• Spanish: perpetuo

continuing; uninterrupted

• Bulgarian: постоянен (bg) (postojanen), непрекъснат (bg) (neprekǎsnat)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 無休止嘅／无休止嘅 (mou⁴ jau¹ zi² ge³), 連續不斷嘅／连续不断嘅 (lin⁴ zuk⁶ bat¹ dyun⁶ ge³)

• Danish: vedvarende, permanent (da)
• Finnish: jatkuva (fi), päättymätön (fi)
• German: ununterbrochen (de), ständig (de), fortwährend (de), perpetuell (de) (archaic)
• Greek: αέναος (el) (aénaos)

  Ancient: ἐνδελεχής (endelekhḗs)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: örökös (hu), folytonos (hu), szakadatlan (hu)
• Irish: síoraí
• Italian: perenne (it)
• Latin: perpetuus (la), perpes, iūgis
• Polish: bezustanny (pl)
• Portuguese: perpétuo (pt)
• Romanian: perpetuu (ro)

flowering throughout the growing season

• Danish: stedsegrøn (da) (used with green plants; literally "ever green")
• Finnish: koko kasvukauden kukkiva
• German: immerblühend
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: πολυετής (el) (polyetís)
• Portuguese: perpétuo (pt)
• Romanian: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} תמידי (t'midí)

Noun

perpetual (plural perpetuals)

1. Ellipsis of perpetual check..

Further reading

• “perpetual”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

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Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [pər.pə.tuˈal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [peɾ.pe.tuˈal]

Adjective

perpetual m or f (masculine and feminine plural perpetuals)

1. perpetual

   Synonym: perpetu

Derived terms

• perpetualment

Further reading

• “perpetual” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “perpetual”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “perpetual” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “perpetual” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.