permanent

Without end, eternal.

Adjective

  1. Without end, eternal.
    • Nothing in this world is truly permanent.
    • Things that had been permanent and unquestionable were suddenly thrown into doubt. - 2003, Christopher Paolini, “Dragon Tales”, in Eragon, page 20:
  2. Lasting for an indefinitely long time.
    • The countries are now locked in a permanent state of conflict.

Origin

From Middle English permanent, permanente, from Middle French permanent, from Latin permanēns, from permaneō (“to stay through”). First attested in the 15th century.

Forms

more permanent most permanent

Synonyms

everlasting forever never-ending unending endless durable intransient

Antonyms

impermanent temporary

Related

permafrost permatemp

Derived

compromise to a permanent end impermanent nonpermanent permacath permaculture permalancer permanental permanent brain permanent contract permanent dirt permanent income hypothesis permanentize permanent loan permanently permanent magnet permanent marker permanent mission permanentness permanent paper permanent press permanent-press permanent private hall permanent residency permanent resident

Noun

  1. A chemical hair treatment imparting or removing curliness, whose effects typically last for a period of weeks; a perm.
    • She had pewter-coloured hair set in a ruthless permanent, a hard beak and large moist eyes with the sympathetic expression of wet stones. - 1943, Raymond Chandler, The High Window, Penguin, published 2005, page 8:
  2. Given an n×n matrix a_ij,, the sum over all permutations π, of ∏ᵢ₌₁ⁿa_iπ(i).
  3. A card whose effects persist beyond the turn on which it is played.

Forms

permanents

Related

determinant ephemeral relaxer temporary

Verb

  1. To perm (the hair).

Forms

permanents permanenting permanented