perpetual

Definitions  ·  Examples  ·  Pronunciations  ·  Etymologies  ·  Related  ·  Statistics  ·  Comments  · 
“
All the powers and sources of motion with the operation of which we are acquainted, when producing these peculiar effects, are expended in the same proportion as those effects are produced; and hence arises the impossibility of obtaining by their agency a perpetual effect; or in other words a perpetual motion.

View all »
Definitions (18)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (5)

  1. adjective Lasting for eternity.
  2. adjective Continuing or lasting for an indefinitely long time.
  3. adjective Instituted to be in effect or have tenure for an unlimited duration: a treaty of perpetual friendship.
2 more from this dictionary »

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (10)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

Toggle elsewhere links Elsewhere on the web

View all »
Examples (50)

  • The surrounding country is extremely fertile, especially in the valleys; the soil is richer, the further you penetrate into the interior, and the climate is described as a perpetual spring. —  The Adventures of Captain Bonneville
  • I have no definite information one way or another, but just in I Don't Know - aka the perpetual post
  • Heck, they might even call their perpetual solution as "The Brown Man's Burden". —  WordPress.com News
  • However, I do know that the stimulus plan is mislabeled -- it should be called the perpetual government spending machine. —  post-gazette.com - News
  • Microsoft Software Licensing and Protection Services enable ISVs to deliver trial, perpetual, and subscription —  MSDN Blogs
More examples »
 

Tags

perpetual hasn't been tagged yet.

Sign up or sign in to add tags.

Stats

This word has been looked up 198 times.

stop updating
On Twitter

Photos from

flickr images

Add a related word »
Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

continual ·  eternal ·  endless ·  universal ·  mutual ·  ceaseless
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English perpetuel, from Old French, from Latin perpetuālis, from perpetuus, continuous : per-, per- + petere, to go toward; see pet- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English perpetuel, from Old French perpetuel, French perpétuel = Old Spanish perpetual = Italian perpetuale, from Middle Latin perpetualis, permanent, Latin perpetualis, universal, from perpetuus, continuing throughout, constant, universal, general, continuous (later Italian Spanish Portuguese perpetuo, Old French perpetu, perpetual), from per, through, + petere, fall upon, go to, seek: see petition.
 

Pronunciations
Record your own »
/pərˈpɛtʃjuəl/
by American Heritage

Charts
frequency chart

Bubble size: how much this word was used in a year

Bubble height: used more or less than expected, vs. all uses evenly distributed

You can expect to see this word a few times a month.

Recently looked up

Gazpacho · mod · cross-eyed · narcissistic · deadlift

Recent Favorites

pygopagus · sanglant · Astacus · sweetbread · qualms

Recent Pronunciations

eu oi oìa u ou e u oìa · the octopi are dry · Kansas City · spell it rite · put it in your pocket