permanence

/ˈpʌrm(ə)nəns/

/ˈpʌmənɪns/

Other forms: permanences

Permanence is when something sticks around forever, like your mother's love or the smell of smoke after you accidentally start a fire in your kitchen.

Something can give the impression of permanence, even if it isn't literally infinite, like a massive stone castle or a pesky neighbor who always seems to be hanging around. The noun permanence comes from permanent, which in Latin means "remaining to the end," from the roots per, "through," and manere, "remain or stay."

Definitions of permanence

1. noun

   the property of being able to exist for an indefinite duration
   synonyms: permanency

   antonyms:

   impermanence

   the property of not existing for indefinitely long durations

   types:

   perpetuity, sempiternity

   the property of being perpetual (seemingly ceaseless)

   durability, enduringness, lastingness, strength

   permanence by virtue of the power to resist stress or force

   imperishability, imperishableness, imperishingness

   the property of being resistant to decay

   perdurability

   the property of being extremely durable

   immortality

   the quality or state of being immortal

   tensile strength

   the strength of material expressed as the greatest longitudinal stress it can bear without tearing apart

   indestructibility

   the strength to resist destruction

   continuity, persistence

   the property of a continuous and connected period of time

   changelessness

   the property of remaining unchanged

   everlastingness

   the property of lasting forever

   type of:

   duration, length

   continuance in time