German word

Ewigkeit

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈeːvɪçkaɪ̯t/

Meaning

  • feminine nouneternity

Example

Ein Moment kann sich wie eine Ewigkeit anfühlen.

A moment can feel like an eternity.

Illustration for Ewigkeit (eternity)

More examples

Dieses Denkmal soll für die Ewigkeit erhalten bleiben.

This monument should be preserved for all eternity.

Core concept

A timeline with no last mark, stretching past all counted years and also serving as an image for an extremely long interval.

Common phrases

  • eine Ewigkeit dauern

    last an eternity

  • bis in alle Ewigkeit

    for all eternity

Similar words

Unendlichkeit: A limitless state or expanse with no imaginable end.
Dauer: The length of time that an event or condition continues.
Zeit: The general concept of time, including sequence and passing.

Definition in German

Ewigkeit bedeutet unendliche Dauer, die kein Ende kennt.

Word origin

The noun Ewigkeit developed from Middle High German ewikeit and combines ewig with -keit, a suffix that forms abstract nouns from adjectives.

Usage tips

  • In informal speech, eine Ewigkeit often exaggerates a long duration rather than referring to literal eternity.

Other meanings

  • perpetuitynoun
  • agesnoun

Opposites

  • Endlichkeitfinitenessnoun
  • Vergänglichkeittransiencenoun

Related words

  • ewigeternaladjective

Word lists with this word