Don’t go straight to the review now-let your working memory empty out first. Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Fill in the blanks: "(Person) repeated ad infinitum that _." Or, "(Person) repeated _ ad infinitum."Įxample: "The presenter repeated the filler word 'like' ad infinitum. Think of someone who annoyed you by saying the same thing again and again. You’ll know you understand what "ad infinitum" means when you can explain it without saying "endlessly" or "on and on and on." try it out: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. Sometimes you just have to make a choice instead of analyzing it ad infinitum. examples:Īt HomeGoods, shoppers only reach the cashier after moseying past displays of bowls, spatulas, candy, pretzels, photo frames, dog toys, bouncy balls- ad infinitum. "Ad infinitum" can also cap off a list: "an analysis, an analysis of the analysis, and so on ad infinitum " "excuses, more excuses, more excuses.ad infinitum."Īlthough foreign phrases generally take italics, our Latin "ad infinitum" is so common in English that nobody italicizes it anymore. You might talk about something "done and redone ad infinitum:" "they've used and reused this same idea ad infinitum," "I adjust and readjust the approach ad infinitum." Talk about something that happens ad infinitum: something that repeats or continues ad infinitum, something that lasts, goes on, or endures ad infinitum, something that varies or grows ad infinitum, and, less kindly, someone who talks ad infinitum. You most often use it to talk about things that irritate you with their monotony or their continuation. This term usually has a mildly negative tone. You usually put them close to the action they describe: That is, they tell when, where, how, and to what extent This phrase is Latin for "to infinity." Something that happens ad infinitum happens over over and over again in the exact same way, or happens forever. Literally "unknown land," this one means any place or idea that's unknown and unexplored. Literally "firm land," this means anything solid and substantial that you can use as a basis for something else.ģ. Literally "great work," this term describes the best thing that a person has ever created.Ģ. With another word added to our Dictionary of Awesome, I bid you adieu.Slide today's "ad infinitum" into a mental file with other two-word Latin phrases you know:ġ. I suppose this curiosity stems from the knowledge that we are mortal, and therefore directly subjugated to our own limit on a daily basis. Human has always questioned whether or not anything within this universe, or the universe itself, is in fact infinite or limitless. I don’t know about all of you, but I find this term to be absolutely fascinating. The purpose of the title is to show how the Latin language, even in its verbal disuse, continues to live on. There is actually a book written by Nicholas Olster called “Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin”, in which the author delves into the history of the Latin language from its roots to where it stands today in our society. It is suggested that the first use of the word “ad infinitum” came about in the 17th century. It is most commonly associated with mathematics, so that the numbers do not have to be continuously written out. It can be used in most contexts, usually to insinuate that something can be continuously repeated a limitless number of times. It is a term that can be used in place by the more easily recognized term ‘et cetera’, and vice versa.
Synonyms: ceaselessly, endlessly, forever, perpetuallyĪs is evident by the words spelling and syntactic structure, it is of Latin origin. It did not disappoint.ĭefinition: “to infinity, or forevermore … without end or limit” When I saw the term “Ad Infinitum” sitting at the end of a sentence, I immediately added it to my list, knowing it would lead me along a trail stemming from a fascinating origin, and laced with an equally fascinating meaning.
Science, law, linguistics these and many more share a bond with the immortal language.
#Ad infinitum dictionary how to
A dead language that no one really knows how to speak, and yet the words themselves remain etched into most fields of study. I must confess that I chose this word based on the fact that it is a Latin term, and I find that particular language to be most fascinating. This one comes from the book I just finished reading, An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. It’s time for yet another Word of the Week!
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