Perpetuity Meaning
/ˌpɜː(ɹ)pɪˈtjuːɪti/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe quality or state of being perpetual; endless duration; uninterrupted existence.
nounSomething that is perpetual.
Sentence Examples
Vampires live in perpetuity.
The charity trust was established to exist in perpetuity.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The property was donated to the university in ____, meaning the university will own it forever.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The land was donated to the national park in ____, ensuring it could never be sold or developed.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English perpetuitee, perpetuite, perpetuyte, from Old French perpetüité, ultimately from Latin perpetuitās.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1951 April, “Notes and News: North Fife Line, Scotland”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 281:
"The gnomic belief that the world is conditioned by love is no idle apothegm. Love, as the instrument of creative agencies and cosmic perpetuity, is no banausic conception."
— 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page i:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The property was donated to the university in ____, meaning the university will own it forever.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The land was donated to the national park in ____, ensuring it could never be sold or developed.