Forever

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /fəˈɹɛvə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. Continuing for all time without end or for an extremely long duration
2. Enduring indefinitely without a conclusion or lasting for an exceptionally extended period of time
3. Lasting endlessly beyond any determined limit or persisting for an extraordinarily long stretch of time

Etymology: "Forever" began as two separate words that were written apart for centuries. In Middle English, "for ever" (or "for evere") meant "for ever," with "for" in its ordinary sense and "ever" built on Old English "ǣfre," meaning "always" or "at any time." The "ever" element itself comes from an older Germanic phrase tied to the idea of an unbroken age or lifetime, so the word's roots are about time stretching on without a break. The two parts gradually fused into one. The phrase was first attested in the late 14th century, but it was not written as a single word until the late 17th century. That fusion is why "forever" now looks like a single unit to modern readers, even though its parts were once simply a preposition and an adverb sitting side by side.

Synonyms: eternally, always, perpetually, everlastingly, endlessly

Antonyms: temporarily, briefly, momentarily, transiently, fleetingly