different between constant vs eternal

English

Etymology

From Middle English constant, from Old French constant, from Latin constantem, accusative of constans, from constare (“to stand firm”). Displaced native Old English singal.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?nst?nt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?k?nst?nt/

Adjective

constant (comparative more constant, superlative most constant)

1. Unchanged through time or space; permanent.
2. Consistently recurring over time; persistent.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:continuous
3. Steady in purpose, action, feeling, etc.

   • Both loving one fair maid, they yet remained constant friends.

   • His gifts, his constant courtship, nothing gained.

4. Firm; solid; not fluid.
   • 1660, Robert Boyle, New Experiments Physico-Mechanical: Touching the Spring of the Air and their Effects

     If […] you mix them, you may turn these two fluid liquors into a constant body.

5. (obsolete) Consistent; logical.
6. (computing, complexity theory) Bounded above by a constant.

Synonyms

• (unchanged through time or space): nonchanging, unaltering, unvarying; see also Thesaurus:changeless

Translations

Noun

constant (plural constants)

1. That which is permanent or invariable.
2. (algebra) A quantity that remains at a fixed value throughout a given discussion.
3. (sciences) Any property of an experiment, determined numerically, that does not change under given circumstances.
4. (computing) An identifier that is bound to an invariant value; a fixed value given a name to aid in readability of source code.

Translations

Related terms

• constantly (adv)
• constancy (n)

See also

• (computing) literal

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin c?nst?ns.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /kons?tant/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /kuns?tan/
• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

constant (masculine and feminine plural constants)

1. constant

   Antonym: inconstant

Derived terms

• constantment
• inconstant

Related terms

• constància

Noun

constant f (plural constants)

1. constant

Further reading

• “constant” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “constant” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “constant” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “constant” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French constant, from Latin c?nst?ns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?st?nt/, /?k?n.st?nt/
• Hyphenation: con?stant
• Rhymes: -?nt

Adjective

constant (comparative constanter, superlative constantst)

1. constant, invariable
2. constant, continuous, unceasing

Inflection

Derived terms

• constante
• constantheid

French

Etymology

From Latin constans.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??s.t??/
• Homophone: constants

Adjective

constant (feminine singular constante, masculine plural constants, feminine plural constantes)

1. constant

Derived terms

• constamment

Related terms

• constance

Further reading

• “constant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin

Verb

c?nstant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of c?nst?

Romanian

Etymology

From French constant, from Latin constans.

Adjective

constant m or n (feminine singular constant?, masculine plural constan?i, feminine and neuter plural constante)

1. constant

Declension

English

Alternative forms

• æternal (chiefly archaic)
• æternall, eternall (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English eternal, from Old French eternal, from Late Latin aetern?lis, from Latin aeternus (“eternal”), from aevum (“age”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /??t?n?l/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??t??n?l/
• Rhymes: -??(?)n?l
• Hyphenation: eter?nal

Adjective

eternal (not comparable)

1. Lasting forever; unending.

   Synonyms: agelong, endless, everlasting, permanent, sempiternal, unending; see also Thesaurus:eternal

   Antonyms: ephemeral, momentary, transient; see also Thesaurus:ephemeral

2. (philosophy) existing outside time; as opposed to sempiternal, existing within time but everlastingly

   Synonyms: timeless, atemporal; see also Thesaurus:timeless

3. (hyperbolic) Constant; perpetual; ceaseless; ever-present.
4. (dated) Exceedingly great or bad; used as an intensifier.

   Synonym: awful

Usage notes

May be used postpositively, as in peace eternal, possibly as a result of Latin influence.

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

eternal (plural eternals)

1. One who lives forever; an immortal.

Anagrams

• enteral, teneral

References

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin aetern?lis, attested from the 14th century.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /?.t???nal/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?.t?r?nal/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /e.te??nal/

Adjective

eternal (masculine and feminine plural eternals)

1. eternal

   Synonym: etern

References

Further reading

• “eternal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “eternal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “eternal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Etymology

From Latin aetern?lis.

Adjective

eternal m or f (plural eternais)

1. (formal) eternal

   Synonym: eterno

Further reading

• “eternal” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Middle English

Alternative forms

• eterneel, eternall

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French eternal, eternel, from Latin aetern?lis; equivalent to eterne +? -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??t?r?na?l/, /???t?rnal/, /??t?r?n??l/

Adjective

eternal

1. Eternal, permanent; having existed (and existing) forever.
2. Endless, unending; lasting forever.
3. (rare) Long-lasting; non-ephemeral.

Synonyms

• eterne

Descendants

• English: eternal, tarnal
• Scots: eternal

References

• “?tern??l, -??l, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-01-19.

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin aetern?lis.

Adjective

eternal m (feminine singular eternala, masculine plural eternals, feminine plural eternalas)

1. eternal

   Synonym: etèrn

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin aetern?lis.

Adjective

eternal m or f (plural eternais, not comparable)

1. eternal

   Synonym: eterno

Further reading

• “eternal” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin aetern?lis.

Adjective

eternal (plural eternales)

1. eternal

   Synonym: eterno

Further reading

• “eternal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.