Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

perpetuum mobile

/pəːˌpɛtjʊəm ˈməʊbɪleɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.65 in modern English

Syllables
per-petu-um -mo-bile
IPA
/pəːˌpɛtjʊəm ˈməʊbɪleɪ/
25
Scrabble Score
15
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Whole pieces, or large parts of pieces, which are to be played repeatedly, often an indefinite number of times.

Etymology

From Latin perpetuum (neutral inflection of perpetuus “perpetual”) + Latin mōbile (neutrum of mōbilis “mobile, moving”), used together as a noun, thus literally meaning “perpetual mover”. Although often said to literally mean “perpetual motion”, the latter in Latin is mōtus perpetuus. A perpetuum mobile is a device that exhibits perpetual motion.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

perpetua mobilia (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce perpetuum mobile?
The recorded pronunciation is /pəːˌpɛtjʊəm ˈməʊbɪleɪ/.
What does perpetuum mobile mean?
A perpetual motion machine.
Where does perpetuum mobile come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce perpetuum mobile

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “perpetuum mobile”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/pəːˌpɛtjʊəm ˈməʊbɪleɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “perpetuum mobile”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “perpetuum mobile” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.