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The word perfect comes from Latin meaning what?

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perfect

American  

[pur-fikt, per-fekt] / ˈpɜr fɪkt, pərˈfɛkt /

adjective

1. matching in every detail the definition of an ideal type of something.

   Even a ball bearing is not a perfect sphere.

   Your son is a perfect gentleman!

2. excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement.

   There is no perfect legal code.

   The proportions of this temple are almost perfect.

3. exactly fitting the need in a certain situation or for a certain purpose.

   He is the perfect actor to play Mr. Micawber.

   I have the perfect saw for cutting out keyholes.

4. entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings.

   She chose a perfect apple from the bowl.

   It was very nearly the perfect crime—next to impossible for detectives to solve.

   Synonyms:

   picture-perfect, faultless, flawless

5. accurate, exact, or correct in every detail.

   I’ll email you a perfect copy when revisions are complete.

6. thorough or complete; absolute; utter.

   A week ago we were perfect strangers, and already we’ve become friends.

   He made a perfect fool of himself.

7. expert; accomplished; proficient.

   She will need a perfect driving teacher.

8. pure or unmixed.

   perfect yellow.

9. Botany.

   1. having all parts or members present.

   2. monoclinous.

10. Grammar. designating a verb aspect or other verb category used for an action or state that is or will be complete as of some point of reference in time, and that is thought of with regard to its relevance or effect for that time.

11. Music.

    1. of or designating the consonances of unison, octave, and fifth, as distinguished from those of the third and sixth.

    2. of or designating the intervals, harmonic or melodic, of an octave, fifth, and fourth in their normal form, as opposed to augmented and diminished.

12. Mathematics. (of a set) equal to its set of accumulation points.

13. Obsolete. assured or certain.

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noun

Grammar.

1. 1. a verb aspect or other verb category used for an action or state that is or will be complete as of some point of reference in time, and that is thought of with regard to its relevance or effect for that time.

   2. an instance or form of a verb in this aspect, as in I have washed the dishes, so can I go now? or By the time I arrived they had finished breakfast.

verb (used with object)

• perfects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• perfected,
  past participle,  past
• perfecting
  present participle

1. to bring to perfection; make flawless or faultless.

   He has succeeded in perfecting his recipe for chicken Kiev.

2. to bring nearer to perfection; improve; make better.

   She works hard to perfect her writing.

3. to make fully skilled.

4. to bring to completion; finish.

   Nietzsche believed that the emergence of the Superman would perfect the evolution of the human race.

5. Printing. to print the reverse of (a printed sheet).

perfect British  

adjective

1. having all essential elements

2. unblemished; faultless

   a perfect gemstone

3. correct or precise

   perfect timing

4. utter or absolute

   a perfect stranger

5. excellent in all respects

   a perfect day

6. maths exactly divisible into equal integral or polynomial roots

   36 is a perfect square

7. botany

   1. (of flowers) having functional stamens and pistils

   2. (of plants) having all parts present

8. grammar denoting a tense of verbs used in describing an action that has been completed by the subject. In English this is a compound tense, formed with have or has plus the past participle

9. music

   1. of or relating to the intervals of the unison, fourth, fifth, and octave

   2. Also: full.   final.  (of a cadence) ending on the tonic chord, giving a feeling of conclusion Compare imperfect

10. archaic positive certain, or assured

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noun

1. grammar

   1. the perfect tense

   2. a verb in this tense

verb

1. to make perfect; improve to one's satisfaction

   he is in Paris to perfect his French

2. to make fully accomplished

3. printing to print the reverse side of (a printed sheet of paper)

Usage

A few usage guides still object to the use of comparison words such as more, most, nearly, almost, and rather with perfect on the grounds that perfect describes an absolute, yes-or-no condition that cannot logically be said to exist in varying degrees. The English language has never agreed to this limitation. Since its earliest use in the 13th century, perfect has, like almost all adjectives, been compared, first in the now obsolete forms perfecter and perfectest, and more recently with more, most, and similar comparison words: the most perfect arrangement of color and line imaginable. Perfect is compared in most of its general senses in all varieties of speech and writing. After all, one of the objectives of the writers of the U. S. Constitution was “to form a more perfect union.” See also complete, unique.

For most of its meanings, the adjective perfect describes an absolute state, i.e. one that cannot be qualified; thus something is either perfect or not perfect, and cannot be more perfect or less perfect. However when perfect means excellent in all respects, a comparative can be used with it without absurdity: the next day the weather was even more perfect

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• perfecter
  noun
• perfectness
  noun
• nonperfected
  adjective
• quasi-perfect
  adjective
• self-perfecting
  adjective
• superperfect
  adjective
• unperfect
  adjective
• unperfected
  adjective
• perfectedly
  adverb
• quasi-perfectly
  adverb
• superperfectly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• perfecting
  present
• perfected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• perfect
  simple
• perfects
  simple
• have perfected
  perfect
• has perfected
  perfect
• am perfecting
  progressive
• are perfecting
  progressive
• is perfecting
  progressive
• have been perfecting
  perfect progressive
• has been perfecting
  perfect progressive

Past

• perfected
  simple
• had perfected
  perfect
• was perfecting
  progressive
• were perfecting
  progressive
• had been perfecting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will perfect
  simple
• will have perfected
  perfect
• will be perfecting
  progressive
• will have been perfecting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of perfect

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin perfectus “finished,” past participle of perficere “to finish, bring to completion,” from per- per- + -fecere, combining form of facere “to do, make” ( see also do ¹); replacing Middle English parfit, from Old French, from Latin, as above

Explanation

Something that is perfect is complete and without defect or blemish. It might also be precisely accurate or exact. The word perfect can also be used as a verb meaning — you guessed it! — to make something perfect. (Note, though, the pronunciation difference: PER-fect as a noun; per-FECT as a verb.) It originally comes from the Latin word perficere, which breaks down into per- ("completely") and facere ("do"). As a noun perfect is a grammatical term referring to a tense of verbs describing an action that has been completed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

perfect perfects perfected perfecting

Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage would be a perfect fit.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

She said she first heard of the competition, run by Smith and BBC Introducing, when her mother saw it and told her she would be "perfect for this".

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

For someone just starting to save, picking one is better than waiting for the perfect account.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

A bird’s-eye shot of spike heel-clad feet framing an esoteric dress acquisition, a styling clip attached to soft fabric sitting lightly and low-rise, a dress-up session framed by whitewashed wood with the perfect patina.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

It was one of those perfect Ozark mornings—clean, fresh, and green.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

As “Maddie’s Secret” continues, and the titular Maddie falls deeper into the grasp of her titular secret, Early perfects that push and pull.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

The avatar perfects the theater, showing up with scripted answers.

From MarketWatch ● May 6, 2026

Just as a chef perfects a dish by experimenting with flavors and textures, the researchers used an iterative process, testing variations to find the ideal structure for the ionizable lipid.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024

"Stephenson perfects the idea of a railway, from start to finish," said Snow.

From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2024

As we have seen, the good is that which perfects a nature, that which is due to a nature as the realization of the end of the latter.

From Ontology or the Theory of Being by Peter Coffey

How AQR perfected tax-loss harvesting to help the rich get richer.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026

When Jamie Overton perfected his wide yorker, Brook simply reached across and audaciously sliced it over deep third for six.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Party Puffs started out selling ice cream and lemonade until Barham perfected his signature hot dog on a stick using his mother’s cornbread recipe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Les Bleus came to America with the most devastating attack in the game and all the swagger of a country that has perfected Champagne, haute couture, and Kylian Mbappé.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

According to proponents, when the technology is perfected and extended it will surely lead to new possibilities for therapy.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

He said that in a world focused on technology, where people can become caught up in making videos or perfecting production, writing requires nothing more than a pen and paper.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

In purifying and perfecting their homes’ water, he says, homeowners of the future will demineralize and remineralize what comes out of the tap, and then pump it full of oxygen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

The company’s ability to operate space-based data centers and ramp up rocket launches depends on perfecting critical technology.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

USA Rare Earth has invested in French rare earths specialist Carester, and they are together working on perfecting the separation process.

From Barron's ● May 13, 2026

We spend our mornings in Instrumental perfecting our songs and our after noons in workshop, making Boom Chachalaca posters and T-shirts and figuring out how to get four tuxedoes by Saturday.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

Related Words

• accomplish
• carry out
• cultivate
• develop
• hone
• improve
• realize
• refine