Used in English since the 15th century, from Middle English permanent, permanente, from Middle French permanent, from Latin permanēns, from permaneō ("I stay through").

• (America) IPA: /ˈpɝmənənt/
• (RP) IPA: /ˈpɜːmənənt/

permanent

1. Without end, eternal.

   Nothing in this world is truly permanent.

2. Lasting for an indefinitely long time.

   The countries are now locked in a permanent state of conflict.

• (without end) everlasting, forever, neverending, unending; see also Thesaurus:eternal or Thesaurus:endless
• (lasting for an indefinitely long time) durable, intransient; see also Thesaurus:lasting

• impermanent, temporary

• permafrost
• permatemp

• French: permanent
• German: permanent, ständig, beständig, unbefristet, dauerhaft
• Italian: permanente
• Portuguese: permanente
• Russian: постоя́нный
• Spanish: permanente

• French: permanent
• German: ständig, permanent
• Italian: permanente, fisso
• Portuguese: permanente
• Russian: долговре́менный
• Spanish: permanente

permanent (plural permanents)

1. A chemical hair treatment imparting or removing curliness, whose effects typically last for a period of weeks; a perm.
   • 1943, Raymond Chandler, The High Window, Penguin, published 2005, page 8:

     She had pewter-coloured hair set in a ruthless permanent, a hard beak and large moist eyes with the sympathetic expression of wet stones.

2. (linear algebra, combinatorics) Given an n \times n matrix a_{ij} \,, the sum over all permutations \pi \, of \prod_{i=1}^n{a_{i\pi(i)}}.
3. (trading card games) A card whose effects persist beyond the turn on which it is played.

• French: permanente
• German: Dauerwelle
• Italian: permanente, messa in piega
• Russian: пермане́нт

• French: permanent
• German: Permanente

permanent (permanents, present participle permanenting; simple past and past participle permanented)

1. (transitive, dated) To perm (the hair).