|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
perfect
per·fect • adj. / ˈpərfikt/ 1. having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be: she strove to be the perfect wife life certainly isn't perfect at the moment. ∎ free from any flaw or defect in condition or quality; faultless: the equipment was in perfect condition. ∎ precisely accurate; exact: a perfect circle. ∎ highly suitable for someone or something; exactly right: Gary was perfect for her—ten years older and with his own career. ∎ Printing denoting a way of binding books in which pages are glued to the spine rather than sewn together. ∎ dated thoroughly trained in or conversant with: she was perfect in French. 2. absolute; complete (used for emphasis): a perfect stranger all that Joseph said made perfect sense to me. 3. Math. (of a number) equal to the sum of its positive divisors, e.g., the number 6, whose divisors (1, 2, 3) also add up to 6. 4. Gram. (of a tense) denoting a completed action or a state or habitual action that began in the past. The perfect tense is formed in English with have or has and the past participle, as in they have eaten and they have been eating (since dawn) ( present perfect), they had eaten ( past perfect), and they will have eaten ( future perfect). 5. Bot. (of a flower) having both stamens and carpels present and functional. ∎ Bot. denoting the stage or state of a fungus in which the sexually produced spores are formed. ∎ Entomol. (of an insect) fully adult and (typically) winged. • v. / pərˈfekt/ [tr.] make (something) completely free from faults or defects, or as close to such a condition as possible: he's busy perfecting his bowling technique. ∎ archaic bring to completion; finish. ∎ complete (a printed sheet of paper) by printing the second side. ∎ Law satisfy the necessary conditions or requirements for the transfer of (a gift, title, etc.): equity will not perfect an imperfect gift. • n. / ˈpərfikt/ (the perfect) Gram. the perfect tense. DERIVATIVES: per·fect·er / pərˈfektər/ n. per·fect·i·bil·i·ty / pərˌfektəˈbilitē/ n. per·fect·i·ble / pərˈfektəbəl/ adj. per·fect·ness / ˈpərfək(t)nəs/ n. ORIGIN: Middle English: from Old French perfet, from Latin perfectus ‘completed,’ from the verb perficere, from per- ‘through, completely’ + facere ‘do.’ |
|
|
Cite this article
"perfect." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "perfect." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-perfect.html "perfect." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-perfect.html |
|
perfect
perfect thoroughly versed or trained; in a complete state XIII; in a faultless state, accurate XIV; (arith.) XV; unqualified, unalloyed XVI; (gram.) of a tense. ME. parfīt, -fite, later parfet, (by assim. to L.) perfect XV — OF. parfit, -fite (mod. -fait) — L. perfectus, pp. of perficere accomplish, complete, f. PER-2 + facere make, DO1.
Hence perfect vb. XIV. So perfectible XVII. — medL. perfection †complete state XIII; bringing to completion; condition of being perfect XIV. — (O)F. — L. perfective conducing to perfection XVI; (gram.) XIX. — medL. |
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "perfect." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "perfect." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-perfect.html T. F. HOAD. "perfect." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-perfect.html |
|
Perfect
PERFECTComplete; finished; executed; enforceable; without defect; merchantable; marketable. To perfect a title is to record or register it in the proper place so that one's ownership will be established against all others. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Perfect." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Perfect." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437703322.html "Perfect." West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437703322.html |
|
perfect
perfect perfect number a number which is equal to the sum of its factors (not including itself).
See also practice makes perfect. |
|
|
Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "perfect." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "perfect." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-perfect.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "perfect." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-perfect.html |
|
perfect
perfect see tense . |
|
|
Cite this article
"perfect." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "perfect." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-perfect.html "perfect." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-perfect.html |
|
perfect
perfect •abreact, abstract, act, attract, bract, compact, contract, counteract, diffract, enact, exact, extract, fact, humpbacked, hunchbacked, impact, interact, matter-of-fact, pact, protract, redact, refract, retroact, subcontract, subtract, tact, tract, transact, unbacked, underact, untracked
•play-act • autodidact
•artefact (US artifact) • cataract
•contact
•marked, unremarked
•Wehrmacht
•affect, bisect, bull-necked, collect, confect, connect, correct, defect, deflect, deject, detect, direct, effect, eject, elect, erect, expect, infect, inflect, inject, inspect, interconnect, interject, intersect, misdirect, neglect, object, perfect, project, prospect, protect, reflect, reject, respect, resurrect, sect, select, subject, suspect, transect, unchecked, Utrecht
•prefect • abject • retroject • intellect
•genuflect • idiolect • dialect • aspect
•circumspect • retrospect • Dordrecht
•vivisect • architect • unbaked
•sun-baked
•addict, afflict, conflict, constrict, contradict, convict, delict, depict, evict, hand-picked, inflict, interdict, Pict, predict, strict
•edict
•Benedict • verdict
•imperfect, perfect, pluperfect, word-perfect
•object • subject • relict • district
•concoct, decoct
•landlocked • dreadlocked
•unprovoked, unsmoked
•uncooked, unlooked
•abduct, adduct, conduct, construct, destruct, duct, instruct, misconduct, obstruct
•ventiduct • aqueduct • product
•safe-conduct • viaduct
•handworked, unworked
•mulct • unthanked • sacrosanct
•distinct, extinct, succinct
•precinct • instinct
•conjunct, defunct, disjunct, injunct
•adjunct • unasked
|
|
|
Cite this article
"perfect." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "perfect." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-perfect.html "perfect." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-perfect.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
