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perpetuity

perpetuity

19 9.6
A situation that lasts forever
  • noun
  • /ˌpɜːrpəˈtjuːɪti/
: perpetuidad
  • The easement allows for a defined use of the farmer's property into perpetuity.
  • ensure in perpetuity
  • land in perpetuity

I am thinking no, no, they're all supposing A benign government in perpetuity.

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Examples

  • A private collector bought it from us and allows us to display it in perpetuity.

  • Ensure the preservation into perpetuity of the National Biodiversity Inventory Collections resulting from this activity.

    Academic text (1997)
  • But holding on to those things in perpetuity seems like the least ideal way to have a collection that you appreciate.

  • Free annual cancer screening will be made available in perpetuity for all such residents.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The Trust will ensure the gardens in perpetuity and you will have a yearly income and control of the gardens.

  • After I've gone, my money will be left in in perpetuity to be able to fund the charities and the the the business forever.

  • Extracting these resources in perpetuity is not possible, for they are finite.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The Butler Center will maintain the Encyclopedia in perpetuity following the end of our grant-funded development phase.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The leasing plan was to create a permanent fund that would support the Haudenosaunee in perpetuity.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The Trust will ensure the gardens in perpetuity, allowing future generations to enjoy their beauty.

Synonyms

forever
vsperpetuity
68 1.4

A very long time with no end

implies absolute unending existence rather than long duration
eternity
vsperpetuity
  • Informal
45 4.7

A time that feels very long when you are waiting

refers to actual unending state rather than a felt long time
permanence
vsperpetuity
14 5.5

A situation where something lasts a long time without big change

implies actual unending duration rather than long but finite time
permanency
vsperpetuity
3 4.9

A state of lasting for a long time

stresses true endlessness rather than indefinite longevity
timelessness
vsperpetuity
  • Literature
2 7.5

A state of not being limited by time, for example in the afterlife

is about lasting within time rather than outside it
timeless existence
vsperpetuity
  • Literature
1 9.3

A state with no beginning or end, like life after death

is the broader idea of endless lasting beyond religious focus
eternality
vsperpetuity
1 8.4

Lasting forever without a beginning or end

is a neutral term covering that eternal quality
alway
vsperpetuity
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An old word for a time that never ends

gives the same endless idea in modern neutral wording
everlastingness
vsperpetuity
1 9.9

A state of lasting forever

is the broader general term for the same unending state
perdurance
vsperpetuity
1 9.9

The state of lasting over time

emphasizes absence of an end rather than mere continuation
foreverness
vsperpetuity
1 8.3

A state of seeming to last or really lasting without an end

is stricter meaning truly without an end
sempiternity
vsperpetuity
  • Literature
1 9.9

A time that never ends

is the general idea of lasting without end
abidingness
vsperpetuity
7.8

The quality of lasting for a long time

contrasts by meaning true endless duration rather than long endurance

Antonyms

2 8.1

A short time before something changes or ends

A state of lasting only a short time

Idioms

in perpetuity
  • Formal
16 7.8

A time that lasts forever

How Long

perpetuity
19 9.6
permanence
14 5.5
long time
∞ 1.0
duration
105 2.8

Surface Forms

perpetuity singular
perpetuities plural

Morphology

perpetuity = perpetual (transparent) = perpetu + ity

The word 'perpetuity' is transparently derived from 'perpetual' with the addition of the suffix '-ity', indicating a state or quality.

Etymology

Perpetuity comes from the Latin word perpetuus, which means 'continuous' or 'without end'. Think of the familiar word perpetual or a circle with no end — so perpetuity is the state of lasting forever or for a very long time.