Lewis & Short

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per-pĕtŭus, a, um, adj.

    (
  1. I. 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.
  2. II. In partic.
    1. A. 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.
    2. B. In augury: perpetua fulmina, perpetual lighlnings, i. e. whose prognostics refer to one’s whole life, Sen. Q. N. 2, 47, 1.
    3. C. In gram.: perpetuus modus, the infinitive mood, Diom. p. 331 P.
      Hence, adv., in three forms, perpetuo (class.), perpetuum (poet.), and perpetue (late Lat.).
      1. 1. 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.
      2. 2. perpĕtŭum, constantly, uninterruptedly, perpetually: uti, Stat. S. 1, 1, 99.
      3. 3. perpĕtŭē, constantly, Cassiod. in Psa. 62, 4.