Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Persistent \Per*sist"ent\, a. [L. persistens, -entis, p. pr. of
   persistere. See {Persist}.]
   1. Inclined to persist; having staying qualities; tenacious
      of position or purpose.

   2. (Biol.) Remaining beyond the period when parts of the same
      kind sometimes fall off or are absorbed; permanent; as,
      persistent teeth or gills; a persistent calyx; -- opposed
      to {deciduous}, and {caducous}.

Source : WordNet®

persistent
     adj 1: never-ceasing; "the relentless beat of the drums" [syn: {relentless},
             {unrelenting}]
     2: continually recurring to the mind; "haunting memories"; "the
        cathedral organ and the distant voices have a haunting
        beauty"- Claudia Cassidy [syn: {haunting}]
     3: retained; not shed; "persistent leaves remain attached past
        maturity"; "the persistent gills of fishes" [syn: {lasting}]
        [ant: {caducous}]

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

persistent
     
        {persistence}