'never-ending' originates from the combination of 'never' and 'ending', where 'never' means 'at no time' and 'ending' refers to 'the conclusion or finish of something'.

'never-ending' evolved from the Old English 'nǣfre' (never) and 'endian' (to end), eventually forming the modern English compound adjective 'never-ending'.

Initially, it meant 'without a conclusion', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.