Other forms: perpetuities
Perpetuity is a state of lasting for ever. In perpetuity, granted in perpetuity, held in perpetuity.
It occurs almost only in the phrase in perpetuity, which is a legal formula meaning without any end date — used of land, rights and licences. In finance, a perpetuity is a payment stream with no end, and it has a value despite that, which surprises people. Note that the Latin means continuous throughout.
1nounperpetuityA state of lasting for ever.
“The land was given to the town in perpetuity, to be used as a public park.”
perpetuity is an endless duration.
Latin perpetuitas comes from perpetuus, continuous, from per plus petere, to seek or go through.
Latin
perpetuitās
Old French
perpetüité
Middle English
perpetuitee
English, today
perpetuity
From Middle English perpetuitee, perpetuite, perpetuyte, from Old French perpetüité, ultimately from Latin perpetuitās.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA