To cause something to continue indefinitely; to make something last or persist, often beyond its natural duration. It implies active maintenance or renewal of a condition or practice.
From Latin 'perpetuus' meaning 'continuous or uninterrupted,' with the suffix '-ate' indicating action. Entered English in the 16th century, originally referring to making legal documents permanent, then expanding to any sustained continuation.
Perpetuation often happens unconsciously through cycles - poverty perpetuates itself through limited opportunities, just as wealth perpetuates itself through accumulated advantages, showing how social systems can become self-reinforcing loops!
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