perpetuation

[ per-pech-oo-ey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of causing something to continue or go on happening:

   The object of the sorority, among others, is the perpetuation of good fellowship, friendship, and sisterly love among its members.

2. the act of preserving something from extinction or oblivion:

   I spent many months writing the biographies of my father and grandfather to aid in the perpetuation of their memory.

Other Words From

• non·per·pet·u·ance noun
• non·per·pet·u·a·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of perpetuation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin perpetuātiōn-, stem of perpetuātiō “a making uninterrupted, preservation”; perpetuate ( def ), -ion ( def )

Example Sentences

"There is only the perpetuation, however flawed and feeble you might perceive it, of our fragile 249-year-old experiment or the entropy that will engulf and destroy us if we take the other route," he continued.

From Salon

And yet, as viewers learn by the end of "Baby Reindeer," Martha's serial-stalking tendencies are a perpetuation of pain she weathered as a child, in an ostensibly unstable home.

From Salon

“I’m just tired of the perpetuation of this idea that my art form is somehow evil,” Larsen said.

From New York Times

Like the majority, I find myself morally unable to endorse the perpetuation of this mass atrocity.

From Seattle Times

For decades, the trend has induced anxiety among Jewish leaders in America who fret that it threatens the perpetuation of the Jewish people.

From New York Times

Related Words

• care
• conservancy
• conservation
• safeguarding
• safety
• security
• storage