Ever and anon, now and then; often. See under Anon. -- Ever is one, continually; constantly. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- Ever so, in whatever degree; to whatever extent; -- used to intensify indefinitely the meaning of the associated adjective or adverb. See Never so, under Never. "Let him be ever so rich." Emerson.
And all the question (wrangle e'er so long),
Is only this, if God has placed him wrong.
Pope.
You spend ever so much money in entertaining your equals and betters.
Thackeray.
-- For ever, eternally. See Forever. -- For ever and a day, emphatically forever. Shak.
She [Fortune] soon wheeled away, with scornful laughter, out of sight for ever and day.
Prof. Wilson.
-- Or ever (for or ere), before. See Or, ere. [Archaic]
Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!
Shak.
Ever is sometimes joined to its adjective by a hyphen, but in most cases the hyphen is needless; as, ever memorable, ever watchful, ever burning.
Ev`er*dur"ing (?) a. Everlasting. Shak.
Ev`er*glade (?), n. A swamp or low tract of land inundated with water and interspersed with hummocks, or small islands, and patches of high grass; as, the everglades of Florida. [U. S.]
Ev"er*green (?) a. (Bot.) Remaining unwithered through the winter, or retaining unwithered leaves until the leaves of the next year are expanded, as pines cedars, hemlocks, and the like.
Ev"er*green, n. 1. (Bot.) An evergreen plant.
2. pl. Twigs and branches of evergreen plants used for decoration. "The funeral evengreens entwine." Keble.
{ Ev"er*ich (?), Ev"er*ych }, a. [OE. see Every.] each one; every one; each of two. See Every. [Obs.] Chaucer.
{ Ev`er*ich*on", Ev`er*ych*on" } (?), pron. [OE. everich + oon, on, one. See Every, and One.] Every one. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Ever*last"ing (?) a. 1. Lasting or enduring forever; exsisting or continuing without end; immortal; eternal. "The Everlasting God." Gen. xx1. 33.
2. Continuing indefinitely, or during a long period; perpetual; sometimes used, colloquially, as a strong intensive; as, this everlasting nonsence.
I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee . . . the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.
Gen xvii. 8.
And heard thy everlasting yawn confess
The pains and penalties of idleness.
Pope.
Syn. -- Eternal; immortal, interminable; endless; never- ending; infinite; unceasing; uninterrupted; continual; unintermitted; incessant. -- Everlasting, Eternal. Eternal denotes (when taken strictly) without beginning or end of duration; everlasting is sometimes used in our version of the Scriptures in the sense of eternal, but in modern usage is confined to the future, and implies no intermission as well as no end.
Whether we shall meet again I know not;
Therefore our everlasting farewell take;
Forever, and forever farewell, Cassius.
Shak.
Everlasting flower. Sane as Everlasting, n., 3. -- Everlasting pea, an ornamental plant (Lathyrus latifolius) related to the pea; -- so called because it is perennial.
Ev`er*last"ing, n. 1. Eternal duration, past or future; eternity.
From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Ps. xc. 2.