eternity
/ɪˈtɜːrnɪti/
noun
Origin
Latin
aeternitas — everlastingness
Overview
Meaning Now
- Infinite or unending time.
- A state of existence outside of time; the afterlife.
Literal older meaning
the quality of being everlasting
Language path
Latin → Old French → Middle English → English
Earliest form
eternite
Earliest period
14th century
Journey
The term derives from the Latin 'aeternus', a contraction of 'aeviternus', combining 'aevum' (age, lifetime) and 'aeternus' (relating to age). In medieval scholastic philosophy, eternity was often distinguished from 'aevum', which represented the duration of angels and the heavens, contrasting with both temporal change and the absolute timelessness of God.
Evolution
- Latin, 1st century BC
aeternitas
“immortality, everlasting time”
- Old French, 12th century
eternité
“timelessness”
- Middle English, 14th century
eternite
“endless duration”
Connections
Word parts
aetern-
root
everlasting
-ity
suffix
state or quality of
Related across languages
French
éternité
eternity
Spanish
eternidad
eternity
German
Ewigkeit
eternity
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Related to eternity
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.