Cessant

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛsənt/

Definitions

1. Describing a state that is unremitting and continues without cessation
2. Characterized by an ongoing process that does not pause or diminish in intensity
3. Continuing without interruption or pause at any time

Etymology: "Cessant" is an unusual case: an English adjective meaning "continuing without interruption" that sounds like it should mean the opposite. It comes from Latin "cessans," the present participle of "cessare," "to cease" or "to delay." Its root is "cedere," "to go, yield, or give way," which also lies behind "cede" and "recede." The Latin verb was itself a frequentative of "cedere," so the core idea is repeated or lingering yielding. The English word is built on the same Latin stem as "cease," which means to stop. Because "cease" and "cessant" share a root, the adjective's meaning looks like a contradiction: something that ceases should stop, not continue. The word's sense of unbroken continuation sits uneasily beside its own family of stopping words, and that tension is the source of its oddness.

Synonyms: constant, unending, perpetual

Antonyms: intermittent, occasional