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perpetuus

Perpetuus is a Latin adjective meaning enduring, continuous, or unceasing; it is the source of the English words perpetual and perpetuity. In classical Latin, perpetuus agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies, with masculine perpetuus, feminine perpetua, and neuter perpetuum.

In legal, theological, and scientific Latin phrases, perpetuus is used to describe something that lasts without

In modern usage, the word persists in some languages as a loanword, and the independent adjective perpetual

See also: perpetual; perpetuum mobile; perpetual motion.

interruption.
The
term
appears
in
well-known
calques
such
as
perpetuum
mobile
(perpetual
motion),
a
phrase
describing
a
hypothetical
machine
that
operates
indefinitely
with
no
energy
loss;
in
physics,
such
devices
are
considered
impossible
by
the
laws
of
thermodynamics.
is
common
in
English
to
describe
things
lasting
for
an
unlimited
time.
The
form
perpetuus
also
appears
in
Latin
inscriptions
and
texts
as
a
male
given
name,
used
to
evoke
tradition,
endurance,
or
religious
virtue.