perfect
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɜː.fɪkt/
ipa: /-fɛkt/
ipa: /ˈpɝ.fɪkt/
homophone: purrfect
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)fɪkt
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)fɛkt
Forms: form: perfecter
form: more perfect
form: perfectest
form: most perfect
form: perfite
form: perfight
form: pf.
form: poifect
Etymology: From Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit (modern: parfait), from Latin perfectus, perfect passive participle of perficere (“to finish”), from per- (“through, thorough”) + facere (“to do, to make”). The spelling was modified in the 15th century to conform to its Latin etymon. Doublet of parfait, perfecto, and perfectus.
Displaced native Old English fulfremed.
Senses: examples: text: a perfect circle
glosses: Fitting its definition precisely.
examples: text: That bucket with the hole in the bottom is a poor bucket, but it is perfect for watering plants.
glosses: Having all of its parts in harmony with a common purpose.
examples: text: The gymnast performed a perfect somersault.
text: I think I'm in love—I can't stop thinking about her. She's perfect!
text: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
ref: 1787, Gouverneur Morris, Preamble to the United States Constitution:
glosses: Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
examples: text: The expert forger made a perfect copy of the victim's driver's license
glosses: Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
Exact, correctly reflecting the original in all aspects.
raw_tags: of a copy
glosses: Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
Having thoroughly learned or memorized a part.
raw_tags: of an actor
examples: text: Practice makes perfect.
text: word-perfect, letter-perfect
glosses: Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
Having thoroughly learned or memorized a lesson; of a lesson: having been thoroughly learned or memorized.
qualifier: obsolete outside set of phrases
raw_tags: of a person
examples: text: Our Battaile is more full of Names then yours, / Our Men more perfect in the vse of Armes, / Our Armor all as strong, our Cause the best
ref: c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], lines 152–154:
glosses: Without fault or mistake; without flaw, of supreme quality.
Fully trained or very knowledgeable; highly skilled
examples: text: a perfect day
text: And was the day of my delight
⁠As pure and perfect as I say?
⁠The very source and fount of Day
Is dash’d with wandering isles of night.
ref: 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXIV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 41:
text: They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.
ref: 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
glosses: Excellent and delightful in all respects.
examples: text: Marke the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 37:37:
glosses: Morally or spiritually immaculate or ideal.
topics: grammar
human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
coordinate_terms: word: imperfect
word: infect
glosses: Representing a completed action.
raw_tags: of a tense or verb form
topics: biology
natural-sciences
glosses: Sexually mature and fully differentiated.
topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
glosses: Having both male parts (stamens) and female parts (carpels).
raw_tags: of flowers
examples: text: 6 is perfect because the sum of its proper divisors, 1, 2, and 3, which is 6, is equal to the number itself.
topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: Equal to the sum of its proper divisors.
raw_tags: of a number
topics: mathematical-analysis
mathematics
sciences
glosses: Equal to its set of limit points, i.e. set A is perfect if A=A'.
raw_tags: of a set
examples: text: perfect fifth
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
coordinate_terms: augmented
diminished
glosses: Describing an interval or any compound interval of a unison, octave, or fourths and fifths that are not tritones.
examples: text: a perfect Manhattan
text: a perfect Rob Roy
glosses: Made with equal parts of sweet and dry vermouth.
raw_tags: of a cocktail
examples: text: I am perfect that the Pannonians and Dalmatians for their liberties are now in arms.
ref: 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
glosses: Well informed; certain; sure.
examples: text: My fault being nothing—as I have told you oft— / But that two villains, whose false oaths prevail'd / Before my perfect honour, swore to Cymbeline / I was confederate with the Romans: so / Follow'd my banishment
ref: 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
text: My parts, my title, and my perfect soul shall manifest me rightly.
ref: c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
glosses: Innocent, guiltless; without blemish.
examples: text: Pray, do not mock me. / I am a very foolish fond old man, / Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less / And, to deal plainly, / I fear I am not in my perfect mind.
ref: c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vii]:
glosses: Sane, of sound mind.
Synonyms: sense: fitting its definition precisely
word: accurate
sense: fitting its definition precisely
word: flawless
sense: without fault or mistake
word: faultless
sense: without fault or mistake
word: infallible
sense: thoroughly skilled or talented
word: expert
sense: thoroughly skilled or talented
word: proficient
sense: biology: sexually mature and fully differentiated
word: mature
sense: botany: having both male and female parts
word: bisexual
word: hermaphroditic
Hyponyms: future perfect
past perfect
pluperfect
present perfect
Derived terms: allperfect
all-perfect
conditional perfect
frame perfect
frame-perfect
future perfect continuous
future perfect progressive
hemiperfect
heptaperfect
hyperperfect
imperfect
inch-perfect
Insta-perfect
letter-perfect
letter perfect
let the perfect be the enemy of the good
make the perfect the enemy of the good
most-perfect magic square
multiperfect
nobody's perfect
nonperfect
note-perfect
omniperfect
past perfect continuous
past perfect progressive
perfect all-kill
perfectamundo
perfect authentic cadence
perfect auxiliary
perfect binding
perfect-bound
perfect cadence
perfect chord
perfect competition
perfect crime
perfect cube
perfect field
perfect fifth
perfect fourth
perfect game
perfect gold standard test
perfect infinitive
perfect interval
perfection
perfectionist
perfect is the enemy of good
perfect is the enemy of good enough
perfectitude
perfective
perfect market
perfect metal
perfectness
perfect number
perfect octave
perfectoid
perfector
perfect participle
perfect passive participle
perfect pitch
perfect power
perfect price discrimination
perfect rhyme
perfect set
perfect square
perfect storm
perfect stranger
perfect system
perfect time
perfect triad
perfect twelfth
perfect unison
perfect victim
perfect wave
picture perfect
picture-perfect
pitch perfect
pitch-perfect
pixel-perfect
practice makes perfect
present perfect continuous
present perfect progressive
purrfect
quasiperfect
rough perfect
self-perfect
semiperfect
s-perfect
subperfect
superperfect
the perfect is the enemy of the good
triperfect
ultraperfect
unperfect
v-perfect
word-perfect