perpetuüm mobile

See also: perpetuum mobile and Perpetuum mobile

Dutch

Alternative forms

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin perpetuum mōbile, neuter substantive from the Latin adjectives perpetuus (“perpetual”) + mōbilis (“mobile, moving”), having the literal sense “perpetual mover”.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pɛrˈpeː.tu.um ˈmoː.bi.leː/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: per‧pe‧tu‧um mo‧bi‧le

Noun

perpetuüm mobile n (plural perpetua mobilia or perpetuüm mobile’s)

  1. perpetual motion machine, perpetuum mobile (hypothetical contraption capable of remaining in perpetual motion without ever needing any additional energy)
  2. (figuratively) an impossible thing, a figment of one’s imagination

Further reading

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