Lastness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The quality or state of enduring or continuing over a period of time ; the characteristic of being the final or most recent in a sequence ; the condition of persisting until the end of a duration
2. An attribute describing something that remains or persists without interruption ; a property signifying the concluding position or occurrence in a timeline ; a concept denoting sustained existence until a definitive endpoint
3. The state of lasting or maintaining presence through time ; the idea of being the ultimate or terminal event in an order ; the aspect of continuing effectiveness or validity over a span of time

Etymology: "Lastness" is a plain compound: the adjective "last" with the suffix "-ness", which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. "Last" itself comes from Old English "latest," a superlative built on the same root as "late," so the word has long carried the sense of coming after everything else. Adding "-ness" makes a noun meaning "the condition of being last," which is how the word is used in its first and most literal sense. The word has since branched into three related senses. It can describe lasting presence through time, the quality of persisting. It can also name the idea of being the final event in a sequence. And it can refer to continuing effectiveness or validity over a span of time. Each sense grows from the same root notion: where something stands in relation to time.

Synonyms: finality, end, conclusion

Antonyms: beginning, start, commencement