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Webster 1913 Edition


Permanent

Per′ma-nent

,
Adj.
[L.
permanens
,
-entis
, p. pr. of
permanere
to stay or remain to the end, to last;
per + manere
to remain: cf. F.
permanent
. See
Per-
, and
Mansion
.]
Continuing in the same state, or without any change that destroys form or character; remaining unaltered or unremoved; abiding; durable; fixed; stable; lasting;
as, a
permanent
impression
.
Eternity stands
permanent
and fixed.
Dryden.
Permanent gases
(Chem. & Physics)
,
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide; – also called
incondensible gases
or
incoercible gases
, before their liquefaction in 1877. The term is now archaic.
Permanent way
,
the roadbed and superstructure of a finished railway; – so called in distinction from the contractor’s
temporary way
.
Permanent white
(Chem.)
,
barium sulphate (
heavy spar
), used as a white pigment or paint, in distinction from
white lead
, which tarnishes and darkens from the formation of the sulphide.
Syn. – Lasting; durable; constant. See
Lasting
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Permanent

PER'MANENT

,
Adj.
[L.permanens, permaneo,per and maneo, to remain.]
Durable; lasting; continuing in the same state, or without any change that destroys the form or nature of the thing. The laws, like the character of God, are unalterably permanent. Human laws and institutions may be to a degree permanent, but they are subject to change and overthrow. We speak of a permanent wall or building, a permanent bridge, when they are so constructed as to endure long; in which examples,permanent is equivalent to durable or lasting, but not to undecaying or unalterable. So we say, a permanent residence, a permanent intercourse, permanent friendship,when it continues a long time without interruption.

Definition 2024


permanent

permanent

English

Adjective

permanent (comparative more permanent, superlative most permanent)

  1. Without end, eternal.
    Nothing in this world is truly permanent.
  2. Lasting for an indefinitely long time.
    The countries are now locked in a permanent state of conflict.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

permanent (plural permanents)

  1. A chemical hair treatment imparting or removing curliness, whose effects typically last for a period of weeks; a perm.
    • 1943, Raymond Chandler, The High Window, Penguin 2005, p. 8:
      She had pewter-coloured hair set in a ruthless permanent, a hard beak and large moist eyes with the sympathetic expression of wet stones.
  2. (linear algebra, combinatorics) Given an matrix , the sum over all permutations of .

Translations

See also

Verb

permanent (third-person singular simple present permanents, present participle permanenting, simple past and past participle permanented)

  1. (transitive, dated) To perm (the hair).

Catalan

Adjective

permanent m, f (masculine and feminine plural permanents)

  1. permanent

French

Etymology

From Latin permanentem (accusative of permanens).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pɛʁ.ma.nɑ̃/

Adjective

permanent m (feminine singular permanente, masculine plural permanents, feminine plural permanentes)

  1. permanent

Noun

permanent m (plural permanents)

  1. (mathematics) permanent

Related terms


German

Pronunciation

Adjective

permanent (not comparable)

  1. permanent

Declension

Adverb

permanent

  1. permanently, incessantly

Synonyms


Ladin

Alternative forms

  • permanënt

Adjective

permanent m (feminine singular permanenta, masculine plural permanents, feminine plural permanentes)

  1. permanent

Latin

Verb

permanent

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of permaneō

Middle French

Adjective

permanent m (feminine singular permanente, masculine plural permanents, feminine plural permanentes)

  1. permanent

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin permanens

Adjective

permanent (neuter singular permanent, definite singular and plural permanente)

  1. permanent
  2. (as an adverb) permanently

References


Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin permanens

Adjective

permanent (neuter singular permanent, definite singular and plural permanente)

  1. permanent

References