perseverate (English)
Where does "perseverate" come from?
The English verb 'perseverate' is a back-formation derived from the noun 'perseveration'[1]. It functions as a doublet of the word 'persevere'.
Full etymology tree
- perseverate (English), 'To persist in doing something; to continue to repeat an action after the original stimulus has ended.'
- back-formation perseveration (English), 'An uncontrollable repetition of a particular response, such as a word, phrase, or gesture, despite the absence or cessation of a stimulus, usually caused by a brain injury or other organic disorder.'
Cognates and doublets
- persevere (English)
Descendants and derived words
- perseverator (English)
Sources
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris