perpetualadj.adv.n.
/pəˈpɛtʃʊəl/, /pəˈpɛtʃ(ᵿ)l/, /pəˈpɛtjʊəl/, /pəˈpɛtjᵿl/, U.S. /pərˈpɛtʃ(əw)əl/ A. adj.
1.
a. Lasting or destined to last for ever, eternal; never ending or ceasing. Also: for the duration of a person's lifetime; (of a position, office, etc.) held or occupied until death, appointed for life; permanent.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > eternity or infinite duration > [adjective]
echec825
echelichc825
endlessc888
lastinga1225
everlastingc1225
perdurablec1275
perpetuala1325
unendeda1325
incorruptiblea1340
ay-lastingc1340
inlastingc1340
eternec1366
interminablec1374
unstanchablec1374
ever-duringa1382
eternalc1386
sempitern1390
never-failinga1400
sempiternal14..
ever-being?a1425
ever-durable?a1425
immarcescible?a1475
perennal?c1500
deathless1547
everlastable1548
incessant1557
unperishing1561
undeterminable1581
evera1586
unendlya1586
inexterminable1592
never-ending?1592
aeviternal1596
dateless1597
undecaying1599
entombless1601
perishless1605
ageless1609
continual1610
perpetuous1612
imperible1614
ne'er-endinga1616
out-date1623
undated1624
perennious1628
immortal1630
imperishable1648
birthless1651
fadeless1652
sempiternous1653
evergreen1655
intemporal1656
indefectible1659
inconclusible1660
unending1661
aeonian1664
unfading1665
sempervirent1668
amaranthal1674
ne'er-dying1693
perennial1717
timeless1742
indefeatablea1754
amaranthine1782
aeonial1800
unterminating1821
unevanescent1827
ay1845
forever1879
sempervirid1909
the world > time > duration > eternity or infinite duration > [adjective] > that serves or is valid for all time
perpetuala1325
timeless1889
a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) vii. 51 He sal forsuuerie þe kinges lond, oþer habbe perpetuel prison.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1965) Judith Prol. 13 Takeþ Judith, widewe, saumple of chastyte, & declareþ in perpetewel wrshipeful [emended in ed. to wurshipeful] tellingus with þe preising of victorie þis forsoþe not oneli to wymmen but also to men wrþi to ben folewid.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 150 (MED) Mango Chan..ȝaf lettres of perpetuell pes to all cristene men.
1476 in Archaeologia (1887) 50 50 William leek, vicar perpetuall.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) xxiv. 7 Kepe noght til vengaunce perpetuel the trespasis of my ȝouthed.
a1533 J. Frith Against Rastel (?1535–6) sig. Bvii I affyrme hel, and perpetuall dampnacion.
1624 T. Heywood Γυναικεῖον ix. 453 By their unanimous consent they vowed perpetual abstinence from all venerall actions.
1678 R. Cudworth tr. Boethius in True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. iv. 571 Following Plato, we should say, That God was Eternal; but the World only Perpetual.
1742 E. Young Complaint: Night the First 9 How I dreamt Of things Impossible..Of Joys perpetual.
1830 R. Knox tr. P. A. Béclard Elements Gen. Anat. Life 15 Béclard..was unanimously appointed to the office of perpetual secretary to that learned society.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 64 The [mountain] top will be enveloped in perpetual snow.
1944 A. Christie Towards Zero 62 But it seems I am one of these creaking gates—these perpetual invalids who never die.
2000 Oxf. American Jan. 51/1 Florida still lures tourists just as Sirens sang to ships, promising lush beauty..and perpetual youth, only to trap them on rocks.
b. Chiefly Law. That serves or remains applicable, valid, or in force for ever, or for an indefinite or unlimited period; given or paid in perpetuity; irrevocable.
ΚΠ
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Lev. iii. 17 Al þe inward fatnes shal be of þe lord þour perpetuel riȝt.
1418–22 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 306 (MED) Oure saide patent is of a þyng perpetuel.
1534 King Henry VIII in J. Bacon Liber Regis (1786) p. xiv Except only suche annuell and perpetuall rentts, pensions,..proxis, and fees for officers, as before specyally ys mencyoned.
a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iv. iii. 283 Sir, for a Cardecue [printed Cardceue] he will sell the fee-simple of his saluation, the inheritance of it, and cut th'intaile from all remainders, and a perpetuall succession for it perpetually.
1651 W. G. tr. J. Cowell Inst. Lawes Eng. 238 I call those [actions] perpetuall..which have not any set time expresly allotted for their continuance.
1718 Mem. Life J. Kettlewell ii. xxxii. 139 For the perpetual Testification whereof there was an Instrument drawn up.
1759 W. Robertson Hist. Scotl. (1817) II. iii. 74 By granting feus, and perpetual leases of lands.
1804 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. IV. 354 The Lord Chancellor decreed, that a perpetual injunction should be awarded against Lord Forbes and his trustees.
1875 H. J. S. Maine Lect. Early Hist. Inst. i. 16 The property..of some body of persons who, in modern legal phrase, had perpetual succession.
1905 W. Baucke Where White Man Treads 295 I asked a farthest outback his tenure : ‘Well,’ and he lingered on the ‘well’, ‘mine is a perpetual lease.’
1991 J. Nevile in Dance Res. 9 24 A second, perpetual injunction to prevent him from raising this same issue in a different form.
c. Finance. Of an investment: having no date of maturity, having the potential to continue indefinitely. Cf. annuity n. 1c.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > financial dealings > types of money-dealing > [adjective] > invested > type of investment
perpetual1719
fundeda1770
floating1793
ethical1915
ploughed-back1930
divestiture1961
mezzanine1976
short-termist1987
1719 Hist. Reign King George 90 Any Person or Persons..who shall be willing to accept, in lieu thereof, perpetual Annuities, redeemable by Parliament, and to allow for the remaining Terms in the said Annuities.
1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations II. v. ii. 467 Contracts..that is, perpetual annuities redeemable at any time by the debtor upon repayment of the sum originally advanced, but of which this redemption is not exigible by the creditor. View more context for this quotation
a1843 A. Martin Life (1844) 22 The fund of £1 10s. for this purpose, as a foundation and perpetual stock,..soon rose to seven guineas.
1869 Bradshaw's Railway Man. 21 30 Perpetual 4 per cent. stock... Present terminable 4½ per cent. stocks.
1990 P. Harwick et al. Introd. to Mod. Econ. (ed. 3) (BNC) 365 In a perfect capital market, the price of a perpetual bond (that is, one which is never redeemed) which earns £5 per annum for its owner will be £100 when the rate of interest is 5 per cent.
2. † b. Continuous in space; free of spatial discontinuities or gaps, unbroken. Obsolete.
a. Continuing or continued in time without interruption or remission; repeated frequently or without cessation; occurring in endless succession; persistent; continual; constant.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > continuing > [adjective] > continuous or without stop or pause (of action)
ithanda1300
continualc1340
unstintingc1380
perpetuala1382
unfailinga1382
unceasing1382
everlastinga1398
restless?a1439
continuedc1440
running1492
incessant1532
uncessant1548
incessable1552
universal1561
never-ceasing1567
still1570
unpausing1585
ceaseless1590
uncessable1596
indesinent1601
uninterrupted1602
unceasable1604
Sabbathless1605
unceased1605
unintermissive1610
unstaying1616
constant1653
jugial1654
uninterrupted1657
stopless1660
uncheque1671
chronical1672
unarrested1733
well-sustained1743
uninterrupt1776
unsuspended1792
sustained1796
pauseless1820
unhalting1832
persistent1842
unresting1856
unbreaking1870
non-stop1915
the world > time > change > absence of change, changelessness > lasting quality, permanence > [adjective] > lasting, continuous
endlessc888
perpetuala1382
unceasing1382
restless?c1425
biding1430
continual1462
remanent?a1475
incessant1532
uncessant1548
incessable1552
never-ceasing1567
still1570
ceaseless1590
indesinent1601
unceasable1604
unintermissive1610
constant1653
jugial1654
tarrying1654
insuccessive1678
perpetuative1785
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1969) Jer. xv. 18 Whi maad is my sorewe perpetuel [a1425 L.V. euerlastinge; L. perpetuus]?
c1475 (?c1400) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 431 To be bonde to perpetual kepyng of siche maner signes.
1483 W. Caxton tr. A. Chartier Curial sig. iij He shal be enuoyed [printed ennoyed] now here, nowe there, as a courrour or renner perpetuell.
1552 Abp. J. Hamilton Catech. i. iv. f. 13 The well..& perpetuall spring of gudnes.
1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 437 The humours and qualities are in perpetuall motion.
1660 J. Milton Readie Way Free Commonw. 4 Among the perpetual bowings and cringings of an abject people.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 138 With Waters drawn from their perpetual Spring. View more context for this quotation
1755 M. Delany Autobiogr. & Corr. (1861) III. 384 The melancholy hurry of business..for some time to come will necessarily keep her spirits in a perpetual flutter.
1837 H. Hallam Introd. Lit. Europe I. v. 29 This produced..perpetual barbarisms and deviations from purity of idiom.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule xiii. 219 This city of perpetual houses.
1915 J. Turner Let. July in C. Warren Somewhere in France (2019) 17 ‘Eyes front! Why the devil can't you keep your eyes to the front?’ was the perpetual cry.
1955 S. Wilson Man In Gray Flannel Suit i. 4 The crack remained as a perpetual reminder of Betsy's moment of extravagance.
2000 Independent 4 Dec. 9/4 A theme runs through it—that we are a nation characterised by perpetual disenchantment.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > [adjective] > unlimited
endless1413
perpetual1578
limitlessa1586
unbound1593
unbounded1598
boundless1599
spaceless1616
the world > space > extension in space > [adjective] > without a break
running1390
continuate1555
continual1570
perpetual1578
dead1597
continued1607
continuated1632
indistant1644
continuating1650
continuous1673
contiguousc1720
run1740
jointless1909
1578 J. Banister Hist. Man v. f. 64v The skinne is not left perpetuall.
1658 Earl of Monmouth tr. P. Paruta Hist. Venice ii. ii. 109 An almost perpetuall shore, which extends it selfe for the space of thirty miles from the mouth of the Adice, to that of Piave.
1670 S. Wilson Lassels's Voy. Italy (new ed.) ii. 31 Great pillars of freestone..whose capitelli..are ioyned to one another aboue by arches & a perpetual cornice.
1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. vii. 381 [To Ajax] Agamemnon gave the chine Perpetual.
1854 R. Montgomery Poet. Wks. 203 Does not Providence our life invest With one horizon of perpetual cloud?]
c. Horticulture. Of certain plant varieties (as of rose, carnation, or strawberry): flowering or fruiting more or less continuously through the season; (more widely) flowering or fruiting recurrently in a season, remontant. Cf. sense C. 4b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by age or cycles > [adjective] > perennial
perennal?c1500
everlasting1578
perennial1669
vivacious1682
rhizocarpic1829
rhizocarpous1832
perpetual1837
perennating1888
1837 T. Rivers Rose Amateur's Guide 55 Perpetual Roses.
1860 Amer. Agriculturist Dec. 365/2 Perpetual Pink.—Pink, changing to purple, and flowering twice a year in strong soils.
1892 Carnation Man. 149 The Malmaison Carnations can be classed with the tree or perpetual types.
1923 J. H. McFarland Rose in Amer. ii. 21 The Hybrid Perpetual roses are also called Remontant. Both designations are misnomers so far as bloom is concerned.
1968 R. Hay Gardener's Round 78 Plant the ‘remontant’ or perpetual strawberries to have a crop in the autumn.
1986 H. Baker Fruit Garden Displayed (new ed.) 153/1 Perpetual strawberries carry on the succession of fruit after summer fruiting cultivars are over.
For ever, continuously; = perpetually adv. Obsolete (chiefly poetic and in compounds in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > duration > eternity or infinite duration > [adverb]
always fortha700
alwayeOE
oeOE
everOE
buten endea1000
echelichec1175
till doomsdayc1175
to timea1200
perdurablyc1275
in ayea1300
without endc1330
anytimea1375
for ay and oc1374
continually1382
perpetuallyc1385
ay-forthc1390
everlastinglyc1390
perpetualc1392
eternallyc1393
endlessa1400
in (also for, to) perpetuitya1400
always?c1425
without timec1425
endlesslya1450
sempiternlyc1450
infinitivec1470
aylastinglyc1475
everlastingc1475
incessantly1481
in saecula saeculorum1481
sempiternally1509
all days1533
for altogether1542
constantly1567
interminate?1567
incorruptibly1579
perpetuously1612
in perpetuum1613
eternal1614
unterminably1631
unfadinglya1672
unendingly1674
for a constancy1710
perennially1729
tarnally1790
imperishably1795
indefectibly1837
immortally1858
fadelessly1861
c1392 Equatorie of Planetis 18 (MED) In proces of tyme may this plate be turned a-bowte after þat auges of planetes ben moeued in the 9 spere; thus may thin instrument laste perpetuel.
?1457 H. Fylongley in Paston Lett. & Papers (2005) III. 165 My lady of Bargeveney hath in dyuers abbeyes in Leycestershyre vij or viij prestes singinge for her perpetuell.
1554 D. Lindsay Dialog Experience & Courteour 696 in Wks. (1931) I. 220 Motioun continuall, Quhilk doith indure perpetuall.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) iv. iii. 497 You perpetuall sober Gods. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 306 Within those banks, where Rivers now Stream, and perpetual draw thir humid traine. View more context for this quotation
1715 J. Browne & W. Oldisworth State Tracts II. 60 The month the Roman Senate did decree, Perpetual, to Augustus memory.
1774 T. Hull Henry II iii. 36 Receive me to thy arms, enfold me there, Where ever-blooming sweets perpetual rise.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. iv. viii. 282 The tribute..was reduced from nine lacs perpetual, to seven lacs per annum, for the space of six years.
a1895 J. B. L. Warren Coll. Poems (1903) 22 Go, barren plea perpetual to despair.
C. n.† 1. Scottish. in perpetual: in perpetuity. Obsolete.† 2. Used as a form of address to God. Obsolete. rare.† 3. A hereditary or heritable position or office. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1462 Extracts Rec. in W. Chambers Charters Burgh Peebles (1872) 147 That na commoun..be..gewyn in perpetuale bot with the dousan.
1490 Foulis Charters (Edinb. Reg. House) 4 Dec. I..sal varrande and in perpetule sal defende the forsaide lande to the saide Iohnne.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 302 That in perpetuall ane of that surname sal be Mareschall.
ΚΠ
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1897–1973) 115 (MED) Of greatt and small thou art lorde by right; hayll, perpetuall! hayll, faryst wyght!
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > position or job > [noun] > hereditary
room1489
perpetual1568
1568 W. Cecil in W. Robertson Hist. Scotl. (1759) App. xxvii. 54 Providing he shall not dispose of any offices or perpetuals to continue any longer but to these offered of the premises.
4. Horticulture.† a. A perennial plant; = perennial n. 1. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by age or cycles > [noun] > perennial
perenniala1678
perpetualc1710
c1710 C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 300 All sorts of Perpetualls as well as Annualls.
b. A perpetual-flowering or perpetual-fruiting variety of a plant.hybrid perpetual: see hybrid n. 1c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > rose and allied flowers > rose > types of rose flower or bush
summer rosea1456
French rose1538
damask rose?a1547
musk rose1559
province1562
winter rose1577
Austrian brier1590
rose of Provence1597
velvet rose1597
damasine-rose1607
Provence rose1614
blush-rose1629
maiden's blush1648
monthly rose tree1664
Provinsa1678
York and Lancaster rose1688
cinnamon rose1699
muscat rose1707
cabbage rose1727
China-rose1731
old-fashioned rose1773
moss rose1777
swamp rose1785
alba1797
Cherokee rose1804
Macartney rose1811
shepherd's rose1818
multiflora1820
prairie rose1822
Boursault1826
Banksian rose1827
maiden rose1827
moss1829
Noisette1829
seven sisters rose1830
Dundee rambler1834
Banksia rose1835
Chickasaw rose1835
Bourbon1836
climbing rose1836
green rose1837
hybrid China1837
Jaune Desprez1837
Lamarque1837
perpetual1837
pillar rose1837
rambler1837
wax rose1837
rugosa1840
China1844
Manetti1846
Banksian1847
remontant1847
gallica1848
hybrid perpetual1848
Persian Yellow1848
pole rose1848
monthly1849
tea rose1850
quarter sessions rose1851
Gloire de Dijon1854
Jacqueminot1857
Maréchal Niel1864
primrose1864
jack1867
La France1868
tea1869
Ramanas rose1876
Japanese rose1883
polyantha1883
old rose1885
American Beauty1887
hybrid tea1890
Japan rose1895
roselet1896
floribunda1898
Zéphirine Drouhin1901
Penzance briar1902
Dorothy Perkins1903
sweetheart1905
wichuraiana1907
mermaid1918
species rose1930
sweetheart rose1936
peace1944
shrub rose1948
1837 T. Rivers Rose Amateur's Guide 55 All those termed true perpetuals have, generally, a terminal cluster of buds at the end of each shoot, whether produced in spring, summer, or autumn.
1859 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Gardening 1054 Roses... Damask perpetual. Hybrid perpetual.
1890 Daily News 28 Jan. 6/6 A choice selection of hybrid perpetuals, tea-scented, and moss kinds.
1900 Bk. Gardening 708 Carnations are divided into three groups: (1) Show, (2) Tree or Perpetuals, and (3) Malmaisons.
1969 S. G. Harrison et al. Oxf. Bk. Food Plants 74/2 The perpetuals or remontants are an interesting group [of strawberries], which flower successively during the summer and produce fruit from July till October.
1980 Amateur Gardening 25 Oct. 20/3 Sometimes called ‘perpetuals’, these strawberries need more room than the usual kinds.
5. Finance. A bond or debenture that has no set date of maturity. Usually in plural. Cf. sense A. 1c.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > financial dealings > types of money-dealing > [noun] > investment > other types of investing or investment
perpetual1833
fundholding1835
capital investment1842
floating1888
flotation1889
carried interest1908
ethical investment1915
National Savings1919
locking up1924
ploughing-back1924
foreign portfolio investment1951
inward investment1962
round-tripping1973
short-termism1986
1833 Times 15 Aug. 3/3 The following are quotations of the prices at half-past 4 o'clock..Spanish Perpetuals, 5 per cent.
1948 G. Crowther Outl. Money (rev. ed.) ii. 75 The mediums, the longs and the perpetuals are liquid at a price.
1987 Independent 25 Feb. 17 A decline in the profits of the issuer..could depress the perpetual's prize.
6. A machine for cutting the nap of cloth to a uniform length, incorporating a roller with cutting blades passing spirally around it. Now historical and rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > treating or processing textile fabric > [noun] > shearing > machine
cloth-shearer?c1530
perpetual1879
jerry1883
1819 A. Rees Cycl. XXXVIII. at Woollen manufacture The perpetual machines answer very well for shearing narrow cloth.]
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 342/2 The shearing is..effected by means of a machine called a ‘perpetual’, consisting of a roller with cutting blades passing spirally round it.
a1903 S. C. Hepworth in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1903) IV. 476/1 [W. Yorks.] Perpetual, a ‘cropping machine’, a machine with circular knives to cut down the nap on cloth.
1915 A. T. Playne Hist. Parishes Minchinhampton & Avening xxi. 147 This system, which was a great improvement on the clumsy hand shears, gave way in its turn to the ‘Perpetual’.
7. Chess. A perpetual check.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > check or checkmate
matec1330
mating?a1400
checkc1426
checkmatec1440
scholar's mate1614
fool's mate1618
scholar's check1674
perpetual check1750
smothered mate1804
sui-mate1846
selfmate1848
perpetual1966
1966 New Statesman 7 Oct. 533/3 Black was lucky to escape with a perpetual.
1997 Brit. Chess Mag. June 289/2 54 Rxe7 h5! will also lead to an unstoppable perpetual.
Compounds
C1. Compounds of the adjective.† perpetual bellows n. Obsolete bellows capable of giving a continuous blast of air rather than intermittent blasts.† perpetual caustic n. Chemistry Obsolete rare = lunar caustic n. at lunar adj. 4.† perpetual screw n. Mechanics Obsolete = endless screw at endless adj. 4b.
perpetual almanac n. = perpetual calendar n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > reckoning of time > calendar > [noun] > specific calendars
Gregorian Calendarc1275
Julian Calendarc1275
fastia1387
almanacc1392
prognostication1486
shepherd's calendar1506
ephemeris1559
perpetual almanac?1566
perpetual calendar1577
ephemeris1647
primstaff1662
rim-stock1662
parapegma1671
Poor Robin1708
menologium1709
menologion1727
rune-staff1753
Liberian Calendar1754
parapegm1755
timetable1758
prognosticator1779
Hindu calendar1795
Moore's Almanac1806
Moorea1821
numeral1853
Advent calendar1867
paddywhack almanac1875
paddy1876
Islamic calendar1912
?1566 W. C. (title) A blancke & perpetuall almanack, to serue for any yeere [etc.].
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Northampt. 289 It was in plain truth a perpetual Almanack.
1788 A. Mackenzie Let. 21 Nov. in L. Masson Bourgeois de la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest (1889) I. 28 Inclosed you will find your perpetual almanack, which will put you to right, as I imagine we have lost no time!
1894 Dict. National Biogr. XXXIX. 72/2 It begins with a perpetual almanac, showing the day of the month or week for the time past, present, and to come.
1995 Isis 86 105/2 The extant canons, however, seem to describe a set of ephemerides for this period and not a perpetual almanac.
perpetual alms n. Law (now historical) a gift of land, property, etc., given in perpetuity; cf. frankalmoign n.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > tenure of property > [noun] > tenure by free gift of charity
almsOE
almoign?a1400
perpetual alms?c1430
free alms1445
frankalmoigna1513
society > faith > worship > benefice > other financial matters > [noun] > almoign > perpetual
perpetual alms?c1430
free alms1445
frankalmoigna1513
almonagea1711
alms-gift1882
?c1430 (?1383) J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 306 Þe kyng seiþ in his chartre, þat he ȝeveþ þis maner or lond into siche an hous of prestis or religious, into pure and perpetual almes.
1536–7 Award. Conc. St. Bartholomew's Hosp., Oxf. 3 Feb. The which said Hospital, King Edward the third..gave and granted unto the predecessors of the said Provost and Scholars..in free pure and perpetual alms.
1713 Act 13 Anne c. 6 §8 To have and to hold the said Canonship or Prebend to the said Colwell Brickenden..and his Successors..in pure and perpetual Alms.
1894 Dict. National Biogr. XLI. 113/1 Norman appears to have held the abbey of the king for some two years on the tenure of ‘perpetual alms’.
1984 Past & Present 103 99 For those unfortunates who happened permanently to ‘wax blynde or lame bi fortune of the grace of god..’ perpetual alms were promised.
ΚΠ
1758 A. Reid tr. P. J. Macquer Elements Theory & Pract. Chym. I. 362 Excite the fire violently with a pair, or more, of perpetual bellows till the Iron melt.
1850 Descriptive & Hist. Acct. Hydraul. & Other Machines (ed. 4) v. 488 A device of this kind might be made to act in windy weather as a perpetual bellows to blast or refining furnaces.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > chemical substances > salts > [noun] > salts named by atomic number > nitrates or nitrites > silver nitrate
perpetual caustic1704
common or lunar caustic1800
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Infernal-Stone, or Perpetual Caustick, is a Chymical Operation, whereby Silver is rendred Caustick by the Salts of Spirit of Nitre.
perpetual check n. Chess a situation, resulting in a draw, in which one player cannot (safely) terminate a repeated sequence of checks; a repeated sequence of checks to force a draw.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > check or checkmate
matec1330
mating?a1400
checkc1426
checkmatec1440
scholar's mate1614
fool's mate1618
scholar's check1674
perpetual check1750
smothered mate1804
sui-mate1846
selfmate1848
perpetual1966
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 540 If he then were ouercome, the game had for the Englishemen bene clerely gotten, and to the Frenchmen, a perpetuall checkmate.]
1750 tr. G. Greco Chess made Easy 121 This makes it a drawn Game, by a perpetual Check.
1856 C. Tomlinson Chess Player's Ann. 120 ‘You might have drawn the game,’ said he, ‘by perpetual check.’
1997 Daily Tel. 6 May 1/2 He could have placed his queen at the heart of the computer's position, forcing perpetual check.
perpetual curacy n. Anglican Church (now historical) the benefice of a perpetual curate; the position or office of perpetual curate.
ΚΠ
1731 tr. W. De Hemingburgh Historia De Rebus Gestis II. 367 The prior & convent of Bradenestoke in Wilts, had the entire revenues of Chilcompton, now a perpetual curacy, appropriated to them.
1836 Penny Cycl. VI. 487/1 The living is a perpetual curacy.
1997 E. A. Livingstone Oxf. Dict. Christian Church (ed. 3) 1257/1 Perpetual curacies..ceased to exist on 1 April 1969, when the [Pastoral] Measure came into force.
perpetual curate n. Anglican Church (now historical) a priest who has been licensed by a bishop on behalf of an impropriator or lay rector to take responsibility for a benefice indefinitely but without the legal status of a vicar; (abolished in the Church of England in 1969).
ΚΠ
1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 190 Neither Titularies, nor perpetual Curates; but Persons entirely conductitious, and removeable at Pleasure.
1844 J. T. J. Hewlett Parsons & Widows I. xi. 238 The poor perpetual-curate, or sub-vicar.
1991 R. Cecil Masks of Death (BNC) 51 Branwell Bronte was regarded as a sinner by his pious family and, when he lay dying, his father, the perpetual curate of Haworth, prayed constantly by his bed.
perpetual cure n. Anglican Church (now historical) the benefice of a perpetual curate.
ΚΠ
1742 Ann. Europe 1740 III. 210 An Act for making a chapel, lately built..in the town of Sheffield in the county of York, a perpetual cure and benefice.
1811 Risdon's Chorogr. Surv. Devon (new ed.) Addit. 413 Clawton is a perpetual cure.
1930 Eng. Hist. Rev. 45 143 It may well be that the perpetual cure is as old as the castle and the borough.
perpetual pill n. Medicine (now historical) a pill consisting of antimony (formerly used as a laxative), which passing undigested through the body was thought to have an undiminished effect when reused.
ΚΠ
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Regulus These Pills, having thus performed their Office, and being discharged the Body, will serve the same Purpose again and again; whence they have obtained the Name of perpetual Pills.
1848 Sci. Amer. 14 Oct. 27/4 Small balls of this metal [sc. antimony] were made and were known under the name of perpetual pills, because of their being transmitted from generation to generation, without having lost any of their purgative properties.
1991 Independent (Nexis) 21 Oct. 15 Another antimony treatment was the perpetual pill made of the metal itself. This acted as a laxative and could be reused—hence the name.
perpetual scholar n. = perpetual student n.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > learning > learner > college or university student > [noun] > perpetual student
perpetual student1626
perpetual scholara1845
a1845 in J. Story Misc. Writings (1852) 303 The number of persons on the foundation..consisted of a master and fourteen fellows, sometimes called perpetual scholars, eight poor scholars, and two bibliotists.
2001 Alaska Business Monthly (Nexis) 1 Dec. 56 The 25-year-old shareholder was on track to become a perpetual scholar with no defined career goal.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > cog or gear > with endless screw > endless screw
endless screw?1575
perpetual screw1648
worm1730
1648 Bp. J. Wilkins Math. Magick i. ix Another invention, commonly styled a perpetuall screw, which hath the motion of a wheel and the force of a screw, being both infinite.
1773 W. Emerson Princ. Mech. (ed. 3) 42 The endless or perpetual screw AB, having one worm, leaf, or tooth, which drives the teeth of the wheel CD.
1897 Times 23 Sept. 26/4 The engineering device called ‘the perpetual screw’ exactly typified the Education Department.
perpetual spinach n. the spinach beet, Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla, with leaves that resemble those of spinach but can be picked repeatedly over a long season.
ΚΠ
1882 Garden 4 Feb. 75/3 The Beta maritima; known as the Perpetual or Beet Spinach.
1955 Culture of vegetables & Flowers from Seeds & Roots (Sutton & Sons) (ed. 21) 118 Perpetual Spinach, or Spinach Beet (Beta cicla).—A valuable plant for producing a regular supply of leaves which make an excellent Spinach at a period of the year when the ordinary summer Spinach is past its prime.
1992 Encycl. Gardening (Royal Hort. Soc.) 326/2 Leaves and midribs [of Swiss chard] are normally cooked... Spinach beet, or perpetual spinach, forms smaller-leaved plants, with narrow, green leaf stalks.
perpetual student n. a person who remains at university or college far beyond the normal period (in quot. 1866: a person who has the right to remain a student for an unlimited time); a person who retains lifelong scholarly interests or is committed to continuous learning.
ΘΚΠ
society > education > learning > learner > college or university student > [noun] > perpetual student
perpetual student1626
perpetual scholara1845
1626 S. D'Ewes Let. 2 May in Autobiogr. & Corr. (1845) II. 183 The generall, for him that intends to bee a perpetuall student, is as good.
1866 Times 23 Aug. 3/2 Gentlemen entering have the option.., by paying £90 at once, of becoming perpetual students.
1924 G. Calderon tr. A. Chekhov Cherry Orchard i. 132 Yes, I expect I shall be a perpetual student.
1994 Guardian 25 Oct. (Educ. section) 5/2 I'm probably typical, since it seems the term ‘perpetual student’ has achieved a certain currency as a form of insult or sneer.
C2. Compounds of the adverb.
perpetual-flowering adj. Horticulture flowering more or less continuously during the season.
ΚΠ
1834 Gardener's Mag. May 217 The principal bloom of roses is now past; yet there is still a good show of the perpetual-flowering kinds.
1864 Times 1 Nov. 3/3 (advt.) Perpetual flowering Clevedon yellow pansies.
1969 E. B. Le Grice Rose Growing vii. 91 Climbing sports of a perpetual flowering floribunda are not themselves necessarily perpetual.
2001 BBC Gardeners' World Feb. 69/3 You could also add a few medium to low-growing perennial asters. Alternatively, almost any of the perpetual-flowering cranesbills.
perpetual-flowering carnation n. Horticulture a variety of carnation with a long flowering season, usually grown in a cool greenhouse.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > pinks or carnations
gillyflower1517
carnation1538
clove gillyflower1538
incarnation1538
William1538
pink1566
John1572
Indian eye1573
sops-in-wine1573
sweet John1573
sweet-william1573
tuft gillyflower1573
Colmenier1578
small honesty1578
tol-me-neer1578
London tuft1597
maidenly pink1597
mountain pink1597
clove-carnation1605
musk-gillyflower1607
London pride1629
pride of London1629
maiden pink1650
Indian pink1664
Spanish pink1664
pheasant's eye pink1718
flake1727
flame1727
picotee1727
old man's head1731
painted lady1731
piquet1731
China-pink1736
clove1746
wild pink1753
lime-wort1777
matted thrift1792
clove-pink1837
Cheddar Pink1843
Dianthus1849
bunch pink1857
perpetual-flowering carnation1861
cliff pink1863
meadow pink1866
musk carnation1866
Jack1873
wax-pink1891
Malmaison1892
grenadin1904
1861 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener, & Country Gentleman 15 Oct. 41/1 Dianthus hybridus multiflorus, which is a true hybrid perpetual between a Pink and a perpetual-flowering Carnation.
1885 T. Baines Greenhouse & Stove Plants 93/2 Carnation (Perpetual Flowering)... With a sufficient number of plants they may be had in bloom all the year round.
1900 J. Douglas in W. D. Drury Bk. Gardening iii. 55 Perpetual-Flowering Carnations are generally propagated by slips.
1971 S. Bailey Perpetual-flowering Carnations (rev. ed.) 18 The perpetual-flowering carnation owes its origin to at least two Dianthus species, namely D. caryophyllus and D. sinensis.
2007 M. M.-B. Zvi & A. Vainstein in E.-C. Pua & M. R. Davey Transgenic Crops VI iii. 241 The perpetual flowering carnation first appeared in France in the early nineteenth century..as a result of intense breeding.
perpetual fruiting adj. Horticulture (of varieties of strawberry) having an unusually long fruiting season.
ΚΠ
1853 Florist & Hort. Jrnl. (Philadelphia) Aug. 255 (heading) Perpetual fruiting strawberries.
1938 Times 28 Oct. 1/4 (advt.) Alpine strawberries, perpetual fruiting June-October, exquisite flavour.
2002 Express (Nexis) 17 Aug. 63 Everest is the next most common variety. This is ‘perpetual fruiting’ and fills the gaps between other varieties.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
adj.adv.n.a1325