(adj.adv.) : per-pĕtŭus, a, um, adj. (
* Comp. perpetuior, Cato ap. Prisc. p. 601 P.; sup. perpetuissimus, id. ib.) [peto], continuing throughout, continuous, unbroken, uninterrupted; constant, universal, general, entire, whole, perpetual (syn.: continuus, assiduus): sulcos perpetuos ducere,Cato, R. R. 33: quin aedes totae perpetuae ruant,Plaut. Most. 1, 2, 67: agmen,Cic. Pis. 22, 51: munitiones,Caes. B. C. 3, 44: palus,id. B. G. 7, 26: milites disposuit perpetuis vigiliisque stationibusque,id. B. C. 1, 21: perpetuis soliti patres considere mensis,Verg. A. 7, 176: vescitur Aeneas ... perpetui tergo bovis,id. ib. 8, 182: Apenninus perpetuis jugis ab Alpibus tendens ad Siculum fretum,Plin. 3, 5, 7, § 48: tractus,id. 6, 20, 23, § 73: oratio perpetua (opp. altercatio),Cic. Att. 1, 16, 8; cf. Liv. 4, 6: disputatio,Cic. de Or. 2, 4, 16; id. Top. 26, 97: quaestiones perpetuae hoc adulescente constitutae sunt,a standing commission, a permanent tribunal for criminal investigation,id. Brut. 27, 105: perpetua historia, a continuous or general history, id. Fam. 5, 12, 2: colere te usque perpetuom diem,Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 78: diem perpetuum in laetitiā degere,this whole day,Ter. Ad. 4, 1, 5: triduum,id. ib. 4, 1, 4: biennium,id. Hec. 1, 2, 12: ignis Vestae perpetuus ac sempiternus,Cic. Cat. 4, 9, 18: lex perpetua et aeterna,id. N. D. 1, 15, 40: stellarum perennes cursus atque perpetui,id. ib. 2, 21, 55. stabilis et perpetua permansio, id. Inv. 2, 54, 164: voluntas mea perpetua et constans in rem publicam,id. Phil. 13, 6, 13: formido,Verg. E. 4, 14: assidua et perpetua cura,Cic. Fam. 6, 13, 2: perpetui scrinia Sili,of the immortal Silius,Mart. 6, 64, 10.—As subst.: perpĕtŭum, i, n., the abiding, permanent (opp. temporale), Lact. 2, 8, 68.—Hence: in perpetuum (sc. tempus), for all time, forever, in perpetuity, constantly: mulier repperit odium ocius Suā inmunditiā, quam in perpetuom ut placeat munditia sua. Plaut. Stich. 5, 5, 6: serva tibi in perpetuom amicum me,id. Capt. 2, 3, 81: in perpetuum comprimi,Cic. Cat. 1, 12, 30; id. Agr. 2, 21, 55: obtinere aliquid in perpetuum,id. Rosc. Am. 48, 139: non in perpetuum irascetur,Vulg. Psa. 102, 9 et saep.—So, in perpetuum modum = perpetuo, Plaut. Most. 3, 1, 5.
* In partic.
* That holds constantly and universally, universal, general: perpetui juris et universi generis quaestio,Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 141: nec arbitror perpetuum quicquam in hoc praecipi posse,Plin. 17, 2, 2, § 19: ne id quidem perpetuum est,does not always hold good,Cels. 2, 10: illud in quo quasi certamen est controversiae ... id ita dici placet, ut traducatur ad perpetuam quaestionem, to a general principle, Cic. Or. 36, 126.
* In augury: perpetua fulmina, perpetual lighlnings, i. e. whose prognostics refer to one's whole life, Sen. Q. N. 2, 47, 1.
* In gram.: perpetuus modus,the infinitive mood,Diom. p. 331 P. —Hence, adv., in three forms, perpetuo (class.), perpetuum (poet.), and perpetue (late Lat.).
* Perpĕtŭō, constantly, uninterruptedly, perpetually, always, forever, utterly, hopelessly: perpetuon' valuisti?Plaut. Ep. 1, 1, 15: metuo ne technae meae perpetuo perierint,id. Most. 3, 1, 23: dico ut perpetuo pereas,id. Pers. 2, 4, 10; so, perpetuo perire,Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 13: opinionem retinere,Cic. Agr. 3, 1, 2: loquens,id. Ac. 2, 19, 63: sub imperio esse,Caes. B. G. 1, 31; Ov. M. 10, 97.
* Perpĕtŭum, constantly, uninterruptedly, perpetually: uti,Stat. S. 1, 1, 99.
* Perpĕtŭē, constantly, Cassiod. in Psa. 62, 4.

s. TLL