Latin

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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For older aeviternus, from aevum, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- (long time, lifetime). Morphologically (but not semantically) equivalent to aetās +‎ -rnus.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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aeternus (feminine aeterna, neuter aeternum, adverb aeternō); first/second-declension adjective

  1. abiding, lasting, permanent, perpetual
    Synonyms: perennis, assiduus, continuātus, perpetuus, diuturnus
    • Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Hercules Furens:
      Non prata viridi laeta facie germinant,/nec adulta leni fluctuat Zephyro seges;/non ulla ramos silva pomiferos habet;/sterilis profundi vastitas squalet soli/et foeda tellus torpet aeterno situ— rerumque maestus finis et mundi ultima.
      "No meadows bud, joyous with verdant, / mature waves in the gentle west wind, nor crop; / there is no grove of fruit bearing branches to regard; / barren: and the abysmal fields lie all untilled, / and the foul land lies torpid in abiding sufferance- sad end of things, and the world 's last."
  2. endless, eternal
  3. immortal
    Synonym: immortālis

Declension

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First/second-declension adjective.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative aeternus aeterna aeternum aeternī aeternae aeterna
Genitive aeternī aeternae aeternī aeternōrum aeternārum aeternōrum
Dative aeternō aeternō aeternīs
Accusative aeternum aeternam aeternum aeternōs aeternās aeterna
Ablative aeternō aeternā aeternō aeternīs
Vocative aeterne aeterna aeternum aeternī aeternae aeterna

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Further reading

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  • aeternus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • aeternus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • aeternus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.