French word

éternité

Pronunciation

IPA/etɛʁnite/

Meaning

  • feminine nouneternity

Example

Il pense à l'éternité.

He thinks about eternity.

Illustration for éternité (eternity)

More examples

Je t'aimerai pour l'éternité.

I will love you for eternity.

Core concept

An unbroken stretch of time continuing past all human measures and limits.

Common phrases

  • ça fait une éternité

    It's been ages

  • pour l'éternité

    for eternity

Similar words

temps: The passage of time during which events take place.
durée: The amount of time an event or state lasts.
vie: The condition of being alive and the span of a person's life.

Definition in French

Qualité ou condition d'exister pour toujours, sans fin dans le temps.

Word origin

The French noun éternité descends from Old French eternité and ultimately from Latin aeternitas, based on aeternus and linked to aevum, an age or era.

Usage tips

  • The phrase pour l'éternité means 'forever' in formal or literary usage, while une éternité commonly serves as an emphatic expression for a long time.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word