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.
- noun A perennial plant, especially a rose which blooms every month of the year.
- 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.
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 anindefinitely long time - adjective Set up to be in
effect or havetenure for anunlimited duration - adjective
Continuing uninterrupted - adjective
Flowering throughout thegrowing 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
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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We have heard from time to time of the term perpetual motion.
Aether and Gravitation William George Hooper
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Taken literally, the term perpetual motion refers to movement that goes on forever.
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There are often humorous passages, for the Altrurians are inextinguishably amused by our illogicality, and what they call the perpetual _non sequiturs_ of our lives and laws.
Through the Eye of the Needle A Romance William Dean Howells 1878
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While non-recurring revenues will include all revenues from non-recurring sources, which we define as perpetual license fees and professional services and other.
unknown title 2011
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For this bahar of cloves, the Dutch give fifty dollars, pursuant to what they term their perpetual contract; but, for the more readily obtaining some loading, I agreed to pay them sixty dollars.
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Rather than exhibit a selection of faits accomplis, Glaser uses this show as a narrative platform to address what he describes as a perpetual sense of "doubt and confusion."
NYT > Home Page By STEVEN HELLER 2010
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Back in 2008 a joint statement from several rights organizations said they were protesting against what they called a perpetual policy of discrimination and marginalization from the government.
iToot Stream 2010
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Tim O'Reilly, the open-source advocate, has used the term perpetual beta positively as an indication of open-source development processes wherein users are "
Slate Magazine 2009
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Tim O'Reilly, the open-source advocate, has used the term perpetual beta positively as an indication of open-source development processes wherein users are "
Slate Magazine 2009
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His last season was 1966, where he won 27 games pitching in perpetual agony.
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