wiecznej

Wiecznej is the genitive singular feminine form of the Polish adjective wieczny, meaning eternal or perpetual. It is used with feminine nouns to express the characteristic of eternity and also appears in other cases with the same feminine ending in singular (for example, dative and locative: wiecznej). A well-known usage is in phrases such as wiecznej pamięci, a common epitaph meaning “to the memory of the deceased” or “in eternal memory.” Other frequent combinations include wiecznej chwały (for eternal glory) and wiecznej miłości (eternal love). In general, wiecznej appears in formal, religious, or commemorative language rather than everyday speech.

Etymology and related forms: wieczny derives from Proto-Slavic *věčьny, connected to the noun wieczność meaning eternity. Cognates appear in other Slavic languages, such as Russian вечный, Ukrainian вічний, and Czech věčný, all sharing a root related to timelessness or permanence.

Usage notes: wiecznej is used only with feminine nouns in genitive, dative, or locative singular. For masculine nouns, the corresponding forms differ (e.g., wieczny in nominative; wiecznego in genitive). The adverbial form wiecznie means eternally or forever and is distinct from the adjectival forms.

See also: wieczny; wieczność; wiecznie.