| 1. | without beginning or end; lasting forever; always existing (opposed to temporal ): eternal life. |
| 2. | perpetual; ceaseless; endless: eternal quarreling; eternal chatter. |
| 3. | enduring; immutable: eternal principles. |
| 4. | Metaphysics. existing outside all relations of time; not subject to change. |
e·ter·nal (ĭ-tûr'nəl) adj.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin aeternālis, from Latin aeternus; see aiw- in Indo-European roots.] e'ter·nal'i·ty (ē'tər-nāl'ĭ-tē), e·ter'nal·ness n., e·ter'nal·ly adv. |