everlasting

English

Etymology

From Middle English, equivalent to ever +‎ lasting.

Alternative forms

• ever-lasting

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɛvɚˈlæstɪŋ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɛvəˈlɑːstɪŋ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æstɪŋ, -ɑːstɪŋ
• Hyphenation: ever‧last‧ing

Adjective

everlasting (comparative more everlasting, superlative most everlasting)

1. Lasting or enduring forever; existing or continuing without end

   Synonyms: immortal, eternal

   • 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i]:

     Whether we shall meet again I know not; Therefore our everlasting farewell take; Forever, and forever farewell, Cassius.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Genesis 21:33:

     The Everlasting God.

2. Continuing indefinitely, or during a long period; perpetual; sometimes used, colloquially, as a strong intensive.

   this everlasting nonsense

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Genesis 17:8:

     I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee […] the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.

   • 1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, OCLC 1033416756:

     And heard thy everlasting yawn confess
     The pains and penalties of idleness.

3. (philosophy) Existing with infinite temporal duration (as opposed to existence outside of time).

Synonyms

• eternal, immortal, interminable, endless, never-ending, infinite, unlimited, unceasing, uninterrupted, continual, unintermitted, incessant
• (existing with infinite temporal duration) sempiternal

Antonyms

• (of a short life): ephemeral
• (existing or continuing without end): finite, limited, mortal

Derived terms

• everlasting flower
• everlastingly
• everlastingness
• everlasting pea

Translations

casting or enduring forever

• Bulgarian: вечен (bg) (večen)
• Catalan: etern (ca)
• Cherokee: ᎢᎪᎯᏓ (igohida)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 永活 (wing⁵ wut⁶)

  Mandarin: 永活 (yǒnghuó)

• Dutch: altijddurend
• Finnish: ikuinen (fi)
• French: éternel (fr)
• Georgian: მუდმივი (mudmivi), მარადი (maradi), წარუვალი (c̣aruvali)
• German: ewig (de)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (aiweins)
• Hungarian: örökös (hu), örökkévaló (hu)

• Italian: eterno (it) m, imperituro (it) m, immortale (it)
• Japanese: 永久の (ja) (eikyū no)
• Latin: sempiternus
• Navajo: doo ninítʼiʼii
• Ngazidja Comorian: -a ɗaima
• Old English: ēċe
• Portuguese: eterno (pt), interminável (pt)
• Romanian: etern (ro), nemuritor (ro), interminabil (ro)
• Russian: ве́чный (ru) (véčnyj)
• Sanskrit: अक्षित (sa) (akṣita)
• Scottish Gaelic: maireannach, sìorraidh
• Spanish: inmarcesible (es)
• Sumerian: 𒁕𒊑 (Da-ri)
• Swedish: evig (sv)
• Tocharian B: ṣekaññe
• Turkish: sonsuz (tr)
• Vietnamese: vĩnh viễn (vi)

continuing indefinitely

• Bulgarian: безкраен (bg) (bezkraen)
• Dutch: eindeloos (nl)
• Finnish: ikuinen (fi)
• French: permanent (fr)

• German: endlos (de)
• Kazakh: мәңгілік (kk) (mäñgilik)
• Romanian: perpetuu (ro), continuu (ro)
• Russian: бесконе́чный (ru) (beskonéčnyj), бескра́йний (ru) (beskrájnij), постоя́нный (ru) (postojánnyj) (constant, permanent)
• Scottish Gaelic: maireannach, sìorraidh

Adverb

everlasting (comparative more everlasting, superlative most everlasting)

1. (colloquial) Extremely.
   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 10, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

     The Jones man was looking at her hard. Now he reached into the hatch of his vest and fetched out a couple of cigars, everlasting big ones, with gilt bands on them.

Noun

everlasting (plural everlastings)

1. An everlasting flower.
   • 1887, H. Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure‎^[1]:

     Reverently I replaced the grave-cloths, and, with a sigh that flowers so fair should, in the purpose of the Everlasting, have only bloomed to be gathered to the grave, I turned to the body on the opposite shelf, and gently unveiled it.

   • 1942, Emily Carr, The Book of Small, “The Orange Lily,” [2]

     With a backward look Small said, “What a lovely lily!”
     “Well enough but strong-smelling, gaudy. Come see the everlastings.”

   • 1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York 2007, p. 313:

     ‘It is true perhaps it is too late now for you to look like a rose; but you can always look like an everlasting.’

2. (historical) A durable cloth fabric for shoes, etc.
   • 1988, Eric Kerridge, Textile Manufactures in Early Modern England, page 64:

     Everlastings of one kind or another were used to make gaiters, shoe tops and liveries for sergeants and catchpoles.

Translations

everlasting flower

• Catalan: sempreviva f

• Finnish: ikikukka (fi)

References

• “everlasting” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.