Perpetuity
//ˌpɝpəˈtuːɪti// noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The quality or state of being perpetual; endless duration; uninterrupted existence. uncountable
"Mr. Waller adds that when the railway was authorised in 1897, one of the clauses of the Act authorising the transfer of the line to the North British Railway provided that that company should work it in perpetuity, and it was this clause that caused the interim interdict to be granted."
- 2 the property of being perpetual (seemingly ceaseless) wordnet
- 3 Something that is perpetual. countable
- 4 A limitation intended to be unalterable and of indefinite duration; a disposition of property which attempts to make it inalienable beyond certain limits fixed or conceived as being fixed by the general law. countable
- 5 An annuity in which the periodic payments begin on a fixed date and continue indefinitely. countable
Example
More examples"The goal of the fossil preparators is to remove all of the rock surrounding the fossil in the field jacket, and to stabilize the fossil so that it can last in the collections in perpetuity."
Etymology
From Middle English perpetuitee, perpetuite, perpetuyte, from Old French perpetüité, ultimately from Latin perpetuitās.
Related phrases
More for "perpetuity"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.