Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- To finish or complete so as to leave nothing wanting; bring to completion or perfection: as, to
perfect a picture or a statue. - To make perfect; instruct fully; make fully informed or skilled: as, to
perfect one's self in the principles of architecture; to perfect soldiers in discipline. - Synonyms To accomplish, consummate.
- In the Echinodermata, having the entire series of ambulacral plates perforated from pole to pole, that is, from base to summit of corona.
- Brought to a consummation; fully finished; carried through to completion in every detail; finished in every part; completed.
- Full; whole; entire; complete; existing in the widest extent or highest degree.
- In botany, having both stamens and pistils; hermaphrodite: said of a flower, also of a whole plant, as opposed to monæcious, diæcious, etc.
- Without blemish or defect; lacking in nothing; of the best, highest, or most complete type; exact or unquestionable in every particular: as, a perfect likeness; one perfect but many imperfect specimens; a perfect face; specifically, complete in moral excellence; entirely good.
- Sound; of sound mind; sane.
- Completely skilled; thoroughly trained or efficient: as, perfect in discipline. Compare
letter-perfect . - Completely effective; satisfactory in every respect.
- Quite certain; assured.
- Entire; out and out; utter; very great: as, a perfect horror of serpents; a perfect shower of brickbats met them; a perfect stranger.
- In music: Of an interval, melodic or harmonic, belonging to the first and simplest group of consonances, that in which inversion does not change the character of the interval: as, a perfect unison, octave, fifth, or fourth: opposed to imperfect, diminished, augmented. These intervals are now often also called
major . - Of a chord, cadence, or period, complete; fully satisfactory. Thus, a perfect chord or triad is a triad, major or minor, in its original position; a perfect cadence is a simple authentic or plagal cadence; and a perfect period is one that is fully balanced or filled out.
- In medieval music, of rhythm, time, or measure, triple. See
measure - Synonyms Faultless, blameless, unblemished, holy.
- noun In grammar, the perfect tense. See above.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The perfect tense, or a form in that tense.
- transitive verb 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.
- transitive verb (Print.) a press in which the printing on both sides of the paper is completed in one passage through the machine.
- adjective 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.
- adjective Well informed; certain; sure.
- adjective (Bot.) Hermaphrodite; having both stamens and pistils; -- said of flower.
- adjective (Mus.) a complete and satisfactory close in harmony, as upon the tonic preceded by the dominant.
- adjective (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.
- adjective (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 . - adjective (Gram.) a tense which expresses an act or state completed.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To make perfect; to
improve orhone . - verb law To take an action, usually the filing of a document in the correct venue, that secures a legal right.
- adjective Fitting its definition
precisely . - adjective Having all of its parts in harmony with a common purpose.
- adjective Thoroughly skilled or talented.
- adjective Excellent and delightful in all respects.
- adjective grammar Representing a completed action.
- adjective biology Sexually mature and fully differentiated.
- adjective botany Of
flowers , having both male (stamens ) and female (carpels ) parts. - adjective analysis Of a set, that it is equal to its set of limit points, i.e. set A is perfect if A=A'.
- adjective music describing an
interval or anycompound interval of aunison ,octave , orfourths andfifths that are nottritones - adjective Made with equal parts of
sweet anddry vermouth .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
- verb make perfect or complete
- noun a tense of verbs used in describing action that has been completed (sometimes regarded as perfective aspect)
- adjective without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers
- adjective precisely accurate or exact
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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_Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect_.
Daily Strength for Daily Needs Mary W. Tileston
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Noah was a just man and perfect -- Job _perfect_ and upright.
Sermons on Various Important Subjects Andrew Lee
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Where there is perfect harmony -- _perfect_, I say -- such a dislocation could not be.
Sex and Common-Sense 1916
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The perfect stem of the verb is formed in various ways, but may always be _found by dropping «-ī» from the first person singular of the perfect_, the third of the principal parts.
Latin for Beginners Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge 1900
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From the works of Boethius (_circa_ 400) and others, he had derived and accepted the Pythagorean division of the scale, making thirds and sixths dissonant intervals; and so his perfect chord (from which our later triad gets its name of _perfect_) was composed of a root, fifth or fourth, and octave.
Critical and Historical Essays Lectures delivered at Columbia University Edward MacDowell 1884
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His obedience to His Father, and His Father's love to Him, is the perfect likeness of what goes on between a good son and a good father among men; only that it is _perfect_, because it is between a perfect Father and a perfect Son.
Sermons for the Times Charles Kingsley 1847
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I have heard teachers contend that a child will learn to write much faster by having an _inferior copy_, than by imitating one which is comparatively perfect; 'because,' say they, 'a pupil is liable to be discouraged if you give him a _perfect_ copy; but if it is only a little in advance of his own, he will take courage from the belief that he shall soon be able to equal it. '
The Young Man's Guide William A. Alcott 1824
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Went to Lord H. 's -- party numerous -- _mi_lady in perfect good humour, and consequently _perfect_.
The Works of Lord Byron: Letters and Journals. Vol. 2 George Gordon Byron Byron 1806
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_Be you perfect, as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect_, is a plain
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_ideally_ perfect whole is certainly that whole of which the _parts also are perfect_ -- if we can depend on logic for anything, we can depend on it for that definition.
A Pluralistic Universe Hibbert Lectures at Manchester College on the Present Situation in Philosophy William James 1876
lampbane commented on the word perfect
"Be a good boy
Push a little farther now
That wasn't fast enough
To make us happy
We'll love you just the way you are
if you're perfect"
January 10, 2007
sonofgroucho commented on the word perfect
I love Alanis's lyrics.
May 9, 2007
mikkomikko commented on the word perfect
Since when is "bisexual" a synonym for "perfect"? That listing is bizarre.
Can you imagine exclaiming "Oh! Bisexual!" every time something is perfect?
April 12, 2011
yarb commented on the word perfect
You're looking at a list of definitions, not synonyms. And yes, I can actually imagine exclaiming "Oh! Bisexual!" every time something is perfect. I think it would be funny - although I'm sure the novelty would wear off.
April 12, 2011
bilby commented on the word perfect
I can see problems. Like a gymnast coming in with a bisexual 10 on the pommel horse and then being disqualified under gender rules.
April 13, 2011
Prolagus commented on the word perfect
I think it refers to bisexual in a botanical sense, i.e. monœcious.
April 13, 2011
bilby commented on the word perfect
Used in the Same Context
Time · accidental · active · aorist · beautiful · cattle · certainty
April 13, 2011
ruzuzu commented on the word perfect
For another example, see ulna.
April 19, 2011
joeljewitt commented on the word perfect
Anyone else notice how the word 'perfect' is taking over the world? Instead of yes, ok, thanks, or any acknowledgement of any kind, the answer is now 'perfect'. A luxury hotel chain needs to trademark this word immediately.
May 21, 2011
bilby commented on the word perfect
On a positive note, the use of absolutely in such contexts appears to have withered.
May 22, 2011
rolig commented on the word perfect
But do people now say "Per-fuckin-fect!"?
*not sorry that I'm a little out of it*
May 22, 2011
pterodactyl commented on the word perfect
There's an unwritten rule in English that when you insert an expletive into another word, it must precede a stressed syllable. So, for example, you can talk about "Phila-fuckin'-delphia", because "del" is a stressed syllable, but you cannot talk about "Philadel-fuckin'-phia", because "phi" is not a stressed syllable.
So "Per-fuckin'-fect" is out. I think the closest permissible equivalent is "Fuckin' perfect!", which I do hear occasionally.
May 22, 2011
rolig commented on the word perfect
But "Per-fuckin-fection!" might work, eh? Note the nice alliteration.
May 22, 2011
bilby commented on the word perfect
I'm worried that people who are writing down unwritten rules are breaking an unwritten rule that unwritten rules should not be written.
May 22, 2011
fbharjo commented on the word perfect
unrite of unright unwrite?? and its (positive and negative) variations, combinations and permutations. i.e. rite of right write
May 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the word perfect
Bilby beat me to my comment. Also, shouldn't that be per-pfucking-pfection?
May 22, 2011
rolig commented on the word perfect
Foxy, that sounds like something Sylvester the Cat might say (or I am thinking of Daffy Duck?).
*wonders if Fox is brushing up on his Deutsch*
May 22, 2011
blafferty commented on the word perfect
Wow, pterodactyl, that's true! You can say "fan-fucking-tastic" but "marv-fucking-elous" sounds weird.
May 22, 2011
joeljewitt commented on the word perfect
You meant 'fan-fucking' right?
May 22, 2011
sionnach commented on the word perfect
"A luxury hotel chain needs to trademark this word immediately. "
As in:
Are you one of the power elite? Then think of the Sofitel Manhattan. Perfect for your next intimate rendezvous.
May 22, 2011
blafferty commented on the word perfect
Whoops, thanks, Joel. Edited.
May 22, 2011
dontcry commented on the word perfect
How 'bout "perfuct" ?
I do love rolig's "Per-fuckin-fection". Gonna have to employ it at the very first opportunity. Perhaps after Mr dontcry's beer can chicken tonight...
May 28, 2011
oroboros commented on the word perfect
I've used 'perfuct' for years. Very satisfying!
May 28, 2011