Latin quote · Change
Perpetuum mobile
“A thing in perpetual motion.”
Scholarly Latin term
Translation
What does “Perpetuum mobile” mean?
Perpetuum mobile translates as “A thing in perpetual motion.”
Something that never stops moving: an imagined machine that runs forever, or a piece of music played in a fast, unbroken stream of notes.
Origin
The story behind it
Inventors long tried to build perpetual motion machines, which the laws of thermodynamics show to be impossible; composers such as Johann Strauss II used the title for restless, continuous pieces.
When to use it
Perfect for
It works as a caption, a card message, a tattoo idea, a motto for your desk or a print for your wall.
- Latin
- Perpetuum mobile
- English
- A thing in perpetual motion.
- Source
- Scholarly Latin term
- Era
- Early Modern
- Theme
- Change
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