perpetuated

Perpetuated is the past participle form of the verb perpetuate, meaning to cause something to continue or endure, to preserve from extinction or oblivion, or to cause it to be remembered or to last indefinitely. The term is used for processes, conditions, beliefs, patterns, or memories that are kept going beyond their expected end, or for actions that sustain such continuations.

As a transitive verb, perpetuate takes a direct object. For example, one might say that a policy perpetuates inequality, a myth is perpetuated by media coverage, or traditions are perpetuated within a community. It can be used in active voice (they perpetuated the practice) or passive voice (the practice was perpetuated by them). The word itself often carries a neutral denotation of continuation, but in common usage it frequently appears in contexts that imply negative consequences, such as the perpetuation of discrimination or harmful stereotypes, or, less commonly, in neutral or positive frames like the perpetuation of cultural heritage.

Etymology traces perpetuate to Latin perpetuus, meaning perpetual or continuous, with later transmission through English via Old French and early modern English forms. The past participle perpetuated developed as English adopted the verb, shaping phrases that describe ongoing reproduction or maintenance of a state or idea.

Perpetuated forms are common in discussions of history, sociology, and media studies, where attention to how beliefs, practices, or conditions are kept alive helps illuminate patterns of change and resistance.