Permanent

How to spell permanent

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce permanent

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does permanent mean?

1. adjectiveLasting or intended to last indefinitely, without change or end.

Permanent in a sentence

• After the trial period she was offered a permanent contract.

• The spill left a permanent stain on the carpet.

Where does permanent come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb manere, meaning 'to remain' or 'to stay in place'. The present participle permanens, formed with the intensifying prefix per- 'through' or 'thoroughly', described something that 'stays through to the end', that is, something lasting. English took the word in the early 1400s, partly through Old French, in the sense of enduring or continuing without change. The same manere root still lingers inside familiar words such as 'remain', 'mansion' (originally a place where one stays), and 'manor'. The trap for writers is the unstressed middle, since the two a-then-e vowels can blur into a schwa; remembering the 'man' that means 'remain' helps keep the spelling steady.

How the word is built

• per- (through, thoroughly)
• man (from manere: to remain, stay)
• -ent (adjective suffix)