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eternity

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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FromMiddle Englisheternyte, fromOld Frencheternité, fromLatinaeternitās. Displaced nativeOld Englishēcnes.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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eternity (countable anduncountable,pluraleternities)

  1. (uncountable) Existence without end,infinite time.
    • 1829,John Wesley,Sermons on Several Occasions‎[1], 10th edition, volume 2, Sermon LVIII: On theEternity of God, page 1:
      Eternity has generally been considered as divisible into two parts; which have been termed,eternitya parte ante, andeternitya parte post: that is, in plain English, thateternity which is past, and thateternity which is to come.
    • 1886,Augustus Hopkins Strong,Systematic Theology: a Compendium and Commonplace-book Designed for the Use of Theological Students‎[2], page190:
      This theory regards creation as an act of God ineternity past.
    • 2000,Thomas Boston,Human Nature in Its Fourfold State‎[3], page247:
      Those who like not the company of the saints on earth will get none of it ineternity; but, as godless company is their delight now, they will afterwards get enough of it, when they haveeternity to pass in the roaring and blaspheming society of devils and reprobates in hell.
  2. (uncountable, philosophy, theology) Existence outside of time.
    • 1879,Erastus Snow, “Rest Signifies Change, etc.”, inBrigham Young, editor,Journal of Discourses, volume21, published1881:
      We sometimes speak ofeternity incontradistinction to time; and often say, "through time and intoeternity;" and again "frometernity toeternity," which is simply another form of expressing the same idea, and "pass through time intoeternity." in other words, time is a short period allotted to man in hisprobationary state—and we use the word time in contradistinction to the wordeternity, merely for the accommodation of man in his finite sphere, that we may comprehend and learn to measure periods.
  3. (countable) A period oftime which extends infinitely far into the future.
  4. (metaphysical) The remainder of time that elapses after death.
    • 1905,Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], “Pegāna”, inThe Gods of Pegāna, London:[Charles] Elkin Mathews, […],→OCLC,pages75–76:
      When the wind blows not, where, then, is the wind? / Or when thou art not living, where art thou? / What should the wind care for the hours of calm or thou for death? / Thy life is long,Eternity is short. / So short that, shouldst thou die andEternity should pass, and after the passing ofEternity thou shouldst live again, thou wouldst say: ‘I closed mine eyes but for an instant.’
  5. (informal, hyperbolic) A comparatively long time.
    It's been aneternity since we last saw each other.

Usage notes

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  • In the sense "a comparatively long time",eternity is always used with theindefinite article (an eternity).
  • In philosophy, the common use ofeternity to refer to an infinite time is considered incorrect,eternity referring to existence outside of time; existence within time but of an infinite temporal duration is calledeverlastingness orsempiternity

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Related terms

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Translations

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infinite time
time extending infinitely far into the future
period of time that elapses after death
informal: a comparatively long time
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Anagrams

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