What is the grammatically accurate word or short phrase to describe a thing that has neither a beginning nor an end? Not looking for metaphors here.
asked Oct 10, 2014 at 5:18
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4eternal: 1. Being without beginning or end (thefreedictionary.com/eternal)– curious-proofreaderCommented Oct 10, 2014 at 5:34
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1"Limitless", "boundless" and "infinite" come to mind. In the temporal domain, "eternal".– AmadanCommented Oct 10, 2014 at 5:34
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6It's not possible to answer your question, unless you exactly explain what you are referring to. For example, is this about a cartesian line in math, or is it about a physics or cosmology matter, or concerning perhaps work or .. ?– FattieCommented Oct 10, 2014 at 7:28
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The term 'grammatically accurate' is imprecise here at best.– Edwin AshworthCommented Oct 10, 2014 at 8:12
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1@araucaria True. In fact, a Möbius strip has no end twice!– StoneyB on hiatusCommented Oct 10, 2014 at 17:09
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4 Answers
boundless
would be good I think
infinity Merriam Webster
the quality of being infinite
unlimited extent of time, space, or quantity : boundlessness
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The set of all positive numbers (or all non-negative numbers) is infinite, but it has a beginning. Conversely (as mentioned in a comment), a circle has no beginning or end, but is finite. Commented Oct 14, 2014 at 23:33
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I think 'infinite' might be better in this usage, rather than 'infinity'. Commented Nov 23, 2015 at 1:45
I like the word annular:
an·nu·lar ˈanyələr
ring-shaped.
synonyms: circular, ring-shaped, disk-shaped, round;
I like eternal, but timeless is another option.
Edit. To expand a bit on my answer, a Google search shows the definition of eternal as
lasting or existing forever; without end. "the secret of eternal youth"
synonyms: everlasting, never-ending, endless, without end, perpetual, undying, immortal, deathless, indestructible, imperishable, immutable, abiding, permanent, enduring, infinite, boundless, timeless
The emphasis of the definition and most of the synonyms seem to be on the fact that it doesn't end, but does not specify that it did not begin! So I must prefer timeless, because of its obvious meaning that it's without time constraints, which would include a beginning.
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@choster, thanks for the welcome. I will expand my answer according to your advice. Commented Nov 23, 2015 at 6:40