eternità

eternity

noun eh-ter-nee-TAH Rare

Origin: Latin aeternitas, from aeternus (everlasting), from aevum (age, lifetime).

Usage Note

Eternità is invariable in the plural (le eternità), following the rule for all accented-vowel nouns. In colloquial Italian it often functions as a hyperbole: ci ho messo un'eternità means 'it took me forever' (I took an eternity). The adjective is eterno (l'Eterno with a capital is a name for God in religious contexts). Distinguish from immortalità (immortality), which refers to living things rather than the abstract concept of infinite time.

Examples

"L'arte vera sembra durare un'eternità."

Natural Translation

True art seems to last an eternity.

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