/peuhr sev'euh ray"sheuhn/ , n.
1. the act or process of perseverating.
2. Psychiatry. the pathological, persistent repetition of a word, gesture, or act, often associated with brain damage or schizophrenia.
[ 1605-15 in sense "perseverance"; PERSEVERE + -ATION, or perseveration-, s. of perseveratio ]