everlasting

everlasting

English

Alternative forms

• ever-lasting

Etymology

From Middle English, equivalent to ever +‎ lasting.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌɛvɚˈlæstɪŋ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɛvəˈlɑːstɪŋ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æstɪŋ, -ɑːstɪŋ
• Hyphenation: ever‧last‧ing

Adjective

everlasting (comparative more everlasting, superlative most everlasting)

1. Lasting or enduring forever; existing or continuing without end

   Synonyms: immortal, eternal

   • 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i]:

     Whether we shall meet again I know not; Therefore our everlasting farewell take; Forever, and forever farewell, Cassius.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Genesis 21:33:

     The Everlasting God.

2. Continuing indefinitely, or during a long period; perpetual; sometimes used, colloquially, as a strong intensive.

   this everlasting nonsense

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Genesis 17:8:

     I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee […] the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.

   • 1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, OCLC 1033416756:

     And heard thy everlasting yawn confess
     The pains and penalties of idleness.

3. (philosophy) Existing with infinite temporal duration (as opposed to existence outside of time).

Synonyms

• eternal, immortal, interminable, endless, never-ending, infinite, unlimited, unceasing, uninterrupted, continual, unintermitted, incessant
• (existing with infinite temporal duration) sempiternal

Antonyms

• (of a short life): ephemeral
• (existing or continuing without end): finite, limited, mortal

Derived terms

• everlasting flower
• everlasting life
• everlastingly
• everlastingness
• everlasting pea (Lathyrus latifolius)
• everlasting pool
• everlasting staircase

 

Translations

lasting or enduring forever

Bulgarian: вечен (bg) (večen) Catalan: etern (ca) Cherokee: ᎢᎪᎯᏓ (igohida) Chinese: Cantonese: 永活 (wing5 wut6) Mandarin: 永活 (yǒnghuó) Dutch: altijddurend Finnish: ikuinen (fi) French: éternel (fr) Galician: eterno (gl), sen termo, interminábel (gl) Georgian: მუდმივი (mudmivi), მარადი (maradi), წარუვალი (c̣aruvali) German: ewig (de) Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (aiweins) Hungarian: örökös (hu), örökkévaló (hu) Italian: eterno (it) m, imperituro (it) m, immortale (it) Japanese: 永久の (ja) (eikyū no) Latin: sempiternus Navajo: doo ninítʼiʼii Ngazidja Comorian: -a ɗaima Old English: ēċe Ottoman Turkish: صوڭسز‎ (soñsız), ابدی‎ (ebedî), دایم‎ (daim), موبد‎ (muʿebbed) Portuguese: eterno (pt), interminável (pt) Romanian: etern (ro), nemuritor (ro), interminabil (ro) Russian: ве́чный (ru) (véčnyj) Sanskrit: अक्षित (sa) (akṣita) Scottish Gaelic: maireannach, sìorraidh Spanish: inmarcesible (es) Sumerian: 𒁕𒊑 (Da-ri) Swedish: evig (sv) Tocharian B: ṣekaññe Turkish: sonsuz (tr) Vietnamese: vĩnh viễn (vi)

continuing indefinitely

Bulgarian: безкраен (bg) (bezkraen) Dutch: eindeloos (nl) Finnish: ikuinen (fi) French: permanent (fr) German: endlos (de) Kazakh: мәңгілік (kk) (mäñgılık) Romanian: perpetuu (ro), continuu (ro) Russian: бесконе́чный (ru) (beskonéčnyj), бескра́йний (ru) (beskrájnij), постоя́нный (ru) (postojánnyj) (constant, permanent) Scottish Gaelic: maireannach, sìorraidh

Adverb

everlasting (comparative more everlasting, superlative most everlasting)

1. (colloquial) Extremely.
   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 10, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

     The Jones man was looking at her hard. Now he reached into the hatch of his vest and fetched out a couple of cigars, everlasting big ones, with gilt bands on them.

Noun

everlasting (plural everlastings)

1. An everlasting flower.
   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, OCLC 1167497017:

     Reverently I replaced the grave-cloths, and, with a sigh that flowers so fair should, in the purpose of the Everlasting, have only bloomed to be gathered to the grave, I turned to the body on the opposite shelf, and gently unveiled it.

   • 1942, Emily Carr, “The Orange Lily”, in The Book of Small:

     With a backward look Small said, “What a lovely lily!”
     “Well enough but strong-smelling, gaudy. Come see the everlastings.”

   • 1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York 2007, p. 313:

     ‘It is true perhaps it is too late now for you to look like a rose; but you can always look like an everlasting.’

2. (historical) A durable cloth fabric for shoes, etc.
   • 1988, Eric Kerridge, Textile Manufactures in Early Modern England, page 64:

     Everlastings of one kind or another were used to make gaiters, shoe tops and liveries for sergeants and catchpoles.

Derived terms

• cascade everlasting
• life everlasting
• pearly everlasting
• purple everlasting

 

Translations

everlasting flower

Catalan: sempreviva f Finnish: ikikukka (fi)

References

• everlasting in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913