Where does “permanent” come from?
Permanent comes from Middle French permanent, from Latin permanens, the present participle of permaneo, formed from the prefix per- and the root men-, meaning to remain or stay.
permanent (English): Without end, eternal; Lasting for an indefinitely...
Definitions
- Without end, eternal; Lasting for an indefinitely...
Ancestry of “permanent”, step by step
permanent traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin permanēns
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | permanēns | lasting, continuing, ongoing |
| 2 | Latin | permaneo | I stay to the end, hold out, endure; last,... |
| 3 | Latin | per- | Used to make adjectives or verbs that are "very"... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | peri- | — |
via Middle French permanent
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | permanent | permanent |
| 2 | Latin | permanentem | accusative masculine singular of permanēns;... |