perpetual motion
2
9.1
- noun
- /pərˈpɛtʃuəl ˈmoʊʃən/
- Specialized
:
movimiento perpetuo
- The idea of a perpetual motion machine has captivated inventors for centuries, despite being proven impossible.
- perpetual motion machine
Examples
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Scientists have long debated the concept of perpetual motion, which suggests an endless source of energy without any loss.
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This is the first perpetual motion machine in the history of mankind.
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The ocean is a perpetual motion machine.
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The goal is perpetual motion.
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So, we're actually far from having achieved perpetual motion.
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Have you built the world's first perpetual motion machine?
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In the meantime, I had only one month left to finish my plans for a new perpetual motion machine.
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Although there is no hope of making perpetual motion machines, we have built efficient machines.
Academic text (1991) -
No scientific challenge remains greater, most prestigious, more mythical, than that of finding the key to perpetual motion.
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The Tidal Generator within Utopia Three has achieved simulated perpetual motion.
Antonyms
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'perpetual' (= continuing indefinitely) modifies 'motion' (= movement), so a learner who knows both words can infer 'motion that continues indefinitely'. Although the concept is a technical/scientific ideal (and physically impossible), this does not reduce its compositional transparency and many languages have an equivalent compound, making it predictable to learners.
Etymology
Perpetual motion comes from the clear image of a wheel or machine that keeps moving without stopping: perpetual means 'never stopping' and motion means 'movement'. People imagined a device that would run forever without any outside energy, so the phrase now refers to the idea of movement that continues forever, something that cannot happen in real life.