Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Lasting forever; never-ending.
  • adjective Continuing or being so for an indefinitely long time: synonym: continual.
  • adjective Flowering throughout the growing season.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Continuing for ever in future time; destined to continue or be continued through the ages; everlasting: as, a perpetual covenant; a perpetual statute.
  • Continuing or continued without intermission; uninterrupted; continuous; continual:
  • Synonyms Everlasting, Immortal, etc. (see eternal), unceasing, ceaseless, unfailing, perenuial, enduring, permanent, lasting, endless, everlasting.
  • 2. Continual, Incessant, etc. (see incessant), constant.
  • noun A perennial plant, especially a rose which blooms every month of the year.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Neverceasing; continuing forever or for an unlimited time; unfailing; everlasting; continuous.
  • adjective See under Circle.
  • adjective a calendar so devised that it may be adjusted for any month or year.
  • adjective (Ch. of Eng.) a curacy in which all the tithes are appropriated, and no vicarage is endowed.
  • adjective See under Motion.
  • adjective See Endless screw, under Screw.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Lasting forever, or for an indefinitely long time
  • adjective Set up to be in effect or have tenure for an unlimited duration
  • adjective Continuing uninterrupted
  • adjective Flowering throughout the growing season

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
  • adjective continuing forever or indefinitely

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin perpetualis ("universal").

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