1. in general, persistence in doing something to an exceptional level or beyond an appropriate point.

2. in neuropsychology, the inappropriate repetition of behavior that is often associated with damage to the frontal lobe of the brain.

3. an inability to interrupt a task or to shift from one strategy or procedure to another. Perseveration may be observed, for example, in workers under extreme task demands or environmental conditions (mainly heat stress).

4. according to the perseveration–consolidation hypothesis, the repetition, after a learning experience, of neural processes that are responsible for memory formation, which is necessary for the consolidation of long-term memory.

5. in speech and language, the abnormal or inappropriate repetition of a sound, word, or phrase, as occurs in stuttering.

6. the persistence or prolongation of a speech mode beyond the particular developmental stage at which it is typical or accepted, such as baby talk continuing into later childhood or adulthood. —perseverate vb.