permanent
/ˈpəːm(ə)nənt
/adjective
1Lasting or intended to last or remain unchanged indefinitely: a permanent ban on the dumping of radioactive waste at sea damage was not thought to be permanent some temporary workers did not want a permanent job...
- With no money, job, or permanent address, the future looked bleak for Lisa and baby Nicole.
- The berthing piers would remain as a permanent feature of the development of tourism in St Lucia.
- It remains a permanent monument to the academic aspect of elasticity.
Synonyms
lasting, enduring, indefinite, continuing, perpetual, everlasting, eternal, abiding, constant, persistent, irreparable, irreversible, lifelong, indissoluble, indelible, standing, perennial, unending, endless, never-ending, immutable, unchangeable, unalterable, invariable, unchanging, changeless, undying, imperishable, indestructible, ineradicable
rare perdurable
long-term, long-lasting, lasting, stable, fixed, established, sound, secure, solid, firm, continuing, durable
1.1Lasting or continuing without interruption: he’s in a permanent state of rage...
- Was his permanent rage going to be banked by a great outpouring of slavering goodwill?
- The advantages of permanent representation abroad included practicality and continuity.
- We shall need permanent vigilance and constant efforts to spread democratic involvement.
noun North American
A perm for the hair: a woman with a home permanent...
- Problem-solving perms re-texturize hair, adding body, wave, movement and volume, but to call them permanents is a misnomer.
- Hairstyling, teasing, coloring, permanents, and the use of hair spray are supported.
- Also, hair sprays, hair color, and permanents will not make you lose more hair.
Derivatives
permanentize
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin permanent- 'remaining to the end' (perhaps via Old French), from per- 'through' + manere 'remain'.
Permanent is from Latin permanent- ‘remaining to the end’ from per- ‘through’ and manere ‘remain’. The abbreviation perm in hairdressing dates from the 1920s, a shortening of ‘permanent wave’, a process that had been introduced only a few years earlier. Before that people had to curl their hair with hot tongs, or use the late 19th century marcel wave, named after François Marcel Grateau (1852–1936), the French hairdresser who invented the method.