perpetuity

noun per·pe·tu·i·ty \ ˌpər-pə-ˈtü-ə-tē , -ˈtyü- \

Definition of perpetuity

plural perpetuities

1 :eternity 2

2 :the quality or state of being perpetual

bequeathed to them in perpetuity

3 a :the condition of an estate limited so that it will not take effect or vest within the period fixed by law

b :an estate so limited

4 :an annuity payable forever

See perpetuity defined for English-language learners

See perpetuity defined for kids

perpetuity was our Word of the Day on 12/18/2015. Hear the podcast!

Examples of perpetuity in a Sentence

lands that should remain in their wild state in perpetuity

Recent Examples of perpetuity from the Web

And after those Establishments finally pushed Steve Bannon out of the White House — and more troops into Afghanistan — there was reason to think that Trump would remain deferential to them, in perpetuity.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump May Be More Dangerous Than His Handlers Realized," 28 Aug. 2017
Perpetuity and Sound Policy, two quartets of the Hartford Men in Harmony, will perform at a one-hour concert.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Windsor Edition," 22 Aug. 2017
Small fishing boats launch daily from a pebbled beach, land that was granted in perpetuity to the fishermen and their descendants by Elizabeth I, apparently for help in restocking ships fighting the Spanish Armada.

— simon montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, "After Thatcher, New Labour, and austerity, has Britain decided to turn left again?," 16 Aug. 2017
And the distributor essentially controls the rights in perpetuity, according to attorneys for the craft brewers.

— jim morrill, charlotteobserver, "Beer distributors use campaign contributions in battle with craft brewers," 7 Aug. 2017
J.K. Rowling’s Fake News Extremely beloved and extremely rich author J.K. Rowling has managed to stay in the news cycle in perpetuity by turning her Twitter account into a one-stop shop for both Harry Potter fan fiction and liberal fan fiction.

— jessica roy, The Cut, "This Week in Drama: J.K. Rowling’s Fake News, a Bridezilla Gets Her Comeuppance, and Dueling Pierogi Festivals," 4 Aug. 2017
Rather than barring permits for any activity that would require water treatment in perpetuity, for example, the new version of the initiative only restricts permits for storage or disposal of mining waste that could adversely affect fish habitat.

— nathaniel herz, Alaska Dispatch News, "Salmon habitat advocates scale back initiative ambitions after an attorney general’s suggestion," 20 July 2017
Many Republican senators voted for a bill that would have tripled the rate of legal immigration into the U.S. in perpetuity.

— michael brendan dougherty, National Review, "Trump’s Admirable but Unlikely Goals on Immigration," 14 July 2017
The government had introduced shock new rules requiring local mines be 30 percent black-owned in perpetuity, toughening existing requirements and implying hefty dilution for shareholders.

— kevin crowley, Bloomberg.com, "Years of Gridlock Face South Africa as New Rules Hurt Mining," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perpetuity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Continual existence—that elusive concept has made perpetuity a favorite term of philosophers and poets for centuries. The word derives ultimately from the Latin adjective perpetuus ("continual" or "uninterrupted"), which is also the source of our perpetual and perpetuate. It frequently occurs in the phrase "in perpetuity," which essentially means "forever" or "for an indefinitely long period of time." Perpetuity also has some specific uses in law. It can refer to an arrangement in a will rendering land forever inalienable (or at least, for a period longer than is set by rules against such arrangements) or to an annuity that is payable forever.

Origin and Etymology of perpetuity

Middle English perpetuite, from Anglo-French perpetuité, from Latin perpetuitat-, perpetuitas, from perpetuus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

perpetuity Synonyms

Synonyms

everlasting, foreverness, infinity, eternity

Related Words

boundlessness, endlessness, interminableness, limitlessness, permanence, permanency, timelessness

Near Antonyms

ephemerality, impermanence, temporariness, transience, transitoriness

PERPETUITY Defined for English Language Learners

perpetuity

noun

Definition of perpetuity for English Language Learners

: the state of continuing forever or for a very long time

Law Dictionary

perpetuity

noun per·pe·tu·i·ty \ ˌpər-pə-ˈtü-ə-tē, -ˈtyü- \

legal Definition of perpetuity

plural perpetuities

1 :the quality, state, or duration of being perpetual

devised to them in perpetuity

2 a :the condition of a future estate limited in such a way as not to vest within the period fixed by law for the vesting of an estate; also :a limitation that gives rise to such a situation

b :an estate that will not vest within the period fixed by law — see also rule against perpetuities, statutory rule against perpetuities

3 :an annuity payable forever