Perempt Per·empt" transitive verb [ Latin
peremptus , past participle of
perimere to take away entirely, to destroy;
per (see
Per- ) + OL.
emere to take. See
Redeem .]
(Law) To destroy; to defeat. [ R.]
Ayliffe.
Peremption Per·emp"tion noun [ Latin
peremptio : confer French
péremption .]
(Law) A quashing; a defeating. [ Obsolete]
Peremptorily Per"emp·to·ri·ly adverb In a peremptory manner; absolutely; positively. Bacon.
Peremptoriness Per"emp·to·ri·ness noun The quality of being peremptory; positiveness.
Peremptory Per"emp·to·ry adjective [ Latin
peremptorius destructive, deadly, decisive, final: confer French
péremptorie . See
Perempt .]
1. Precluding debate or expostulation; not admitting of question or appeal; positive; absolute; decisive; conclusive; final. Think of heaven with hearty purposes and peremptory designs to get thither.
Jer. Taylor. 2. Positive in opinion or judgment; decided; dictatorial; dogmatical. Be not too positive and peremptory .
Bacon. Briefly, then, for we are peremptory .
Shak. 3. Firmly determined; unawed. [ Poetic]
Shak. Peremptory challenge (Law) See under Challenge . --
Peremptory mandamus ,
a final and absolute mandamus. --
Peremptory plea ,
a plea by a defendant tending to impeach the plaintiff's right of action; a plea in bar. Syn. -- Decisive; positive; absolute; authoritative; express; arbitrary; dogmatical.
Perennial Per·en"ni·al adjective [ Latin
perennis that lasts the whole year through;
per through +
annus year. See
Per- , and
Annual .]
1. ing or continuing through the year; as, perennial fountains. 2. Continuing without cessation or intermission; perpetual; unceasing; never failing. The perennial existence of bodies corporate.
Burke. 3. (Botany) Continuing more than two years; as, a perennial steam, or root, or plant. Syn. -- Perpetual; unceasing; never failing; enduring; continual; permanent; uninterrupted.
Perennial Per·en"ni·al noun (Botany) A perennial plant; a plant which lives or continues more than two years, whether it retains its leaves in winter or not.
Perennially Per·en"ni·al·ly adverb In a perennial manner.
Perennibranchiata Per·en`ni·bran`chi·a"ta noun plural [ New Latin See
Perennial , and
Branchia .]
(Zoology) Those Batrachia which retain their gills through life, as the menobranchus.
Perennibranchiate Per·en`ni·bran"chi·ate adjective [ See
Perennial , and
Branchiate .]
1. (Anat.) Having branchæ, or gills, through life; -- said especially of certain Amphibia, like the menobranchus. Opposed to caducibranchiate . 2. (Zoology) Belonging to the Perennibranchiata.
Perennity Per·en"ni·ty noun [ Latin
perennitas .]
The quality of being perennial. [ R.]
Derham.
Pererration Per`er·ra"tion noun [ Latin
pererrare ,
pererratum , to wander through.]
A wandering, or rambling, through various places. [ R.]
Howell.
Perfect Per"fect adjective [ Middle English
parfit , Old French
parfit ,
parfet ,
parfait , French
parfait , Latin
perfectus , past participle of
perficere to carry to the end, to perform, finish, perfect;
per (see
Per- ) +
facere to make, do. See
Fact .]
1. Brought to consummation or completeness; completed; not defective nor redundant; having all the properties or qualities requisite to its nature and kind; without flaw, fault, or blemish; without error; mature; whole; pure; sound; right; correct. My strength is made perfect in weakness.
2 Cor. xii. 9. Three glorious suns, each one a perfect sun.
Shak. I fear I am not in my perfect mind.
Shak. O most entire perfect sacrifice!
Keble. God made thee perfect , not immutable.
Milton. 2. Well informed; certain; sure. I am perfect that the Pannonains are now in arms.
Shak. 3. (Botany) Hermaphrodite; having both stamens and pistils; -- said of flower. Perfect cadence (Mus.) ,
a complete and satisfactory close in harmony, as upon the tonic preceded by the dominant. --
Perfect chord (Mus.) ,
a concord or union of sounds which is perfectly coalescent and agreeable to the ear, as the unison, octave, fifth, and fourth; a perfect consonance; a common chord in its original position of keynote, third, fifth, and octave. --
Perfect number (Arith.) ,
a number equal to the sum of all its divisors; as, 28, whose aliquot parts, or divisors, are 14, 7, 4, 2, 1. See Abundant number , under Abundant . Brande & C. --
Perfect tense (Gram.) ,
a tense which expresses an act or state completed. Syn. -- Finished; consummate; complete; entire; faultless; blameless; unblemished.
Perfect Per"fect noun The perfect tense, or a form in that tense.
Perfect Per"fect transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Perfected ;
present participle & verbal noun Perfecting .] [ Latin
perfectus , past participle of
perficere . See
Perfect ,
adjective ]
To make perfect; to finish or complete, so as to leave nothing wanting; to give to anything all that is requisite to its nature and kind. God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfect in us.
1 John iv. 12. Inquire into the nature and properties of the things, . . . and thereby perfect our ideas of their distinct species.
Locke. Perfecting press (Print.) ,
a press in which the printing on both sides of the paper is completed in one passage through the machine. Syn. -- To finish; accomplish; complete; consummate.
Perfecter Per"fect·er noun One who, or that which, makes perfect. "The . . .
perfecter of our faith."
Barrow.
Perfectibilian Per·fect`i·bil"i·an noun A perfectionist. [ R.]
Ed. Rev.
Perfectibilist Per`fec·tib"i·list noun A perfectionist. See also Illuminati , 2. [ R.]
Perfectibility Per·fect`i·bil"i·ty noun [ Confer French
perfectibilité .]
The quality or state of being perfectible.
Perfectible Per·fect"i·ble adjective [ Confer French
perfectible .]
Capable of becoming, or being made, perfect.
Perfection Per·fec"tion noun [ French
perfection , Latin
perfectio .]
1. The quality or state of being perfect or complete, so that nothing requisite is wanting; entire development; consummate culture, skill, or moral excellence; the highest attainable state or degree of excellence; maturity; as, perfection in an art, in a science, or in a system; perfection in form or degree; fruits in perfection . 2. A quality, endowment, or acquirement completely excellent; an ideal faultlessness; especially, the divine attribute of complete excellence. Shak. What tongue can her perfections tell?
Sir P. Sidney. To perfection ,
in the highest degree of excellence; perfectly; as, to imitate a model to perfection .
Perfection Per·fec"tion transitive verb To perfect. [ Obsolete]
Foote.
Perfectional Per·fec"tion·al adjective Of or pertaining to perfection; characterized by perfection. [ R.]
Bp. Pearson.
Perfectionate Per·fec"tion·ate transitive verb To perfect. Dryden.
Perfectionism Per·fec"tion·ism noun The doctrine of the Perfectionists.
Perfectionist Per·fec"tion·ist noun One pretending to perfection; esp., one pretending to moral perfection; one who believes that persons may and do attain to moral perfection and sinlessness in this life. South.
Perfectionment Per·fec"tion·ment noun [ Confer French
perfectionnement .]
The act of bringing to perfection, or the state of having attained to perfection. [ R.]
I. Taylor.
Perfective Per·fect"ive adjective Tending or conducing to make perfect, or to bring to perfection; -- usually followed by of . "A
perfective alteration."
Fuller. Actions perfective of their natures.
Ray.
Perfectively Per·fec"tive·ly adverb In a perfective manner.
Perfectly Per"fect·ly adverb In a perfect manner or degree; in or to perfection; completely; wholly; throughly; faultlessly. "
Perfectly divine."
Milton. As many as touched were made perfectly whole.
Matt. xiv. 36.
Perfectness Per"fect·ness noun The quality or state of being perfect; perfection. "Charity, which is the bond of
perfectness ."
Col. iii. 14.
Perfervid Per·fer"vid adjective [ Prefix
per- +
fervid .]
Very fervid; too fervid; glowing; ardent.
Perficient Per·fi"cient adjective [ Latin
perficiens , present participle of
perficere to perform. See
Perfect .]
Making or doing throughly; efficient; effectual. [ R.]
Blackstone.
Perficient Per·fi"cient noun One who performs or perfects a work; especially, one who endows a charity. [ R.]
Perfidious Per·fid"i·ous (pẽr*fĭd"ĭ*ŭs; 277)
adjective [ Latin
perfidious .]
1. Guilty of perfidy; violating good faith or vows; false to trust or confidence reposed; teacherous; faithless; as, a perfidious friend. Shak. 2. Involving, or characterized by, perfidy. "Involved in this
perfidious fraud."
Milton.
Perfidiously Per·fid"i·ous·ly adverb In a perfidious manner.
Perfidiousness Per·fid"i·ous·ness noun The quality of being perfidious; perfidy. Clarendon.
Perfidy Per"fi·dy (pẽr"fĭ*dȳ)
noun ;
plural Perfidies (- dĭz). [ Latin
perfidia , from Latin
perfidus faithless;
per (cf. Sanskrit
parā away) +
fides faith: confer French
perfidie . See
Faith .]
The act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust reposed; faithlessness; treachery. The ambition and perfidy of tyrants.
Macaulay. His perfidy to this sacred engagement.
DeQuincey.
Perfit Per"fit (pẽr"fĭt)
adjective Perfect. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Perfix Per·fix" (pẽr"fĭks)
transitive verb [ Prefix
per- +
fix .]
To fix surely; to appoint. [ Obsolete]
Perflable Per"fla·ble adjective [ Latin
perflabilis . See
Perflate .]
Capable of being blown through. [ Obsolete]
Perflate Per·flate" transitive verb [ Latin
perflatus , past participle of
perflare to blow through.]
To blow through. [ Obsolete]
Harvey.
Perflation Per·fla"tion noun [ Latin
perflatio .]
The act of perflating. [ Obsolete]
Woodward.
Perfoliate Per·fo"li·ate adjective [ Prefix
per- + Latin
folium leaf.]
1. (Botany) Having the basal part produced around the stem; -- said of leaves which the stem apparently passes directory through. 2. (Zoology) Surrounded by a circle of hairs, or projections of any kind.
Perforata Per`fo·ra"ta (pẽr`fo*rā"tȧ)
noun plural [ New Latin See
Perforate .]
(Zoology) (a) A division of corals including those that have a porous texture, as Porites and Madrepora; -- opposed to Aporosa . (b) A division of Foraminifera, including those having perforated shells.
Perforate Per"fo·rate (pẽr"fo*rāt)
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Perforated (- rā`tĕd);
present participle & verbal noun Perforating .] [ Latin
perforatus , past participle of
perforare to perforate;
per through +
forare to bore. See
Bore ,
v. ]
To bore through; to pierce through with a pointed instrument; to make a hole or holes through by boring or piercing; to pierce or penetrate the surface of. Bacon.
Perforate Per"fo·rate (pẽr"fo*rat),
Per"fo*ra`ted (pẽr"fo*rā"tĕd)
adjective Pierced with a hole or holes, or with pores; having transparent dots resembling holes.
Perforation Per`fo·ra"tion noun [ Confer French
perforation .]
1. The act of perforating, or of boring or piercing through. Bacon. 2. A hole made by boring or piercing; an aperture. "Slender
perforations ."
Sir T. Browne.
Perforative Per"fo·ra·tive adjective [ Confer French
perforatif .]
Having power to perforate or pierce.
Perforator Per"fo·ra`tor noun [ Confer French
perforateur .]
One who, or that which, perforates; esp., a cephalotome.
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