infinity means endlessness, unlimitedness, absence of a beginning, end or limits to size.
infinity is pronounced /ɪnˈfɪnɪti/.
Why “infinity” is a great word
The state or quality of being endless, unlimited, or without boundaries. From Middle English infinite, from Old French infinité, from Latin īnfīnitās (“unlimitedness”), from in- (“not”) + fīnis (“end, boundary”) + -tās (noun-forming suffix). Unlike “finity,” which denotes a bounded state, or “endlessness,” which emphasizes perpetual duration, infinity encompasses spatial, quantitative, and abstract limitless extents. It is the horizon that recedes with every step, the nested mirrors reflecting mirrors without terminus, and the quiet hum of a thought that circles back on itself, never finding a wall—the mind’s most vertiginous attempt to conceive of that which, by definition, cannot be fully conceived.
Etymology
From Middle English infinite, from Old French infinité, from Latin īnfīnitās (“unlimitedness”), from negative prefix in- (“not”), + fīnis (“end”), + noun of state suffix -tās.
noun
- endlessness, unlimitedness, absence of a beginning, end or limits to size.e.g.“concept of infinity”
- A number that has an infinite numerical value that cannot be counted.
- An idealised point which is said to be approached by sequences of values whose magnitudes increase without bound.
- A number which is very large compared to some characteristic number. For example, in optics, an object which is much further away than the focal length of a lens is said to be "at infinity", as the distance of the image from the lens varies very little as the distance increases further.
- The symbol ∞.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.