Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PER'E-GAL, a. [Fr. per and egal, equal.]

Equal. [Not used.] – Spenser.

PER'E-GRIN-ATE, v.i. [L. peregrinor, from peregrinus, a traveler or stranger; peragro, to wander; per and ager.]

To travel from place to place or from one country to another; to live in a foreign country. – Dict.

PER-E-GRIN-A'TION, n.

A traveling from one country another; a wandering; abode in foreign countries.

PER'E-GRIN-A-TOR, n.

A traveler into foreign countries. – Casaubon.

PER'E-GRINE, a. [L. peregrinus.]

Foreign; not native. [Little used.] – Bacon. Peregrine falcon, a species of hawk, the black hawk or falcon, found in America and in Asia, and which wanders in summer to the Arctic circle. – Pennant.

PER-E-GRIN'I-TY, n.

Strangeness. [Not used.] – Cook.

PER-EMPT', v.t. [L. peremptus, perimo, to kill.]

In law, to kill; to crush or destroy. [Not used.]

PER-EMP'TION, n. [L. peremptio.]

A killing; a quashing; nonsuit. [Not used.] – Ayliffe.

PER'EMP-TO-RI-LY, adv. [from peremptory.]

Absolutely; positively; in a decisive manner; so as to preclude further debate. Never judge peremptorily on first appearances. – Clarissa.

PER'EMP-TO-RI-NESS, n.

Positiveness; absolute decision; dogmatism. Peremptoriness is of two sorts; one, a magisterialness in matters of opinion; the other, a positiveness in matters of fact. – Gov. of the Tongue.

PER'EMP-TO-RY, a. [Fr. peremptoire; It. perentorio; L. peremptorius, from peremptus, taken away, killed.]

1. Express; positive; absolute; decisive; authoritative; in a manner to preclude debate or expostulation. The orders of the commander are peremptory.
2. Positive in opinion or judgment. The genuine effect of sound learning is to make men less peremptory in their determinations.
3. Final; determinate.
4. Peremptory challenge, in law, a challenge or right of challenging jurors without showing cause.

PER-EN'NI-AL, a. [L. perennis; per and annus, a year.]

1. Lasting or continuing without cessation through the year. – Cheyne.
2. Perpetual; unceasing; never failing. – Harvey.
3. In botany, continuing more than two years; as, a perennial stem or root. – Martyn.
4. Continuing without intermission; as a fever. – Cosa.

PER-EN'NI-AL, n.

In botany, a plant which lives or continues more than two years, whether it retains its leaves or not. That which retains its leaves during winter is called an evergreen; that which casts its leaves, deciduous, or a perdifoil.

PER-EN'NI-AL-LY, adv.

Continually; without ceasing.

PER-EN'NI-TY, n. [L. perennitas.]

An enduring or continuing through the whole year without ceasing. – Derham.

PER-ER-RA'TION, n. [L. pererro; per and erro, to wander.]

A wandering or rambling through various places. – Howell.

PER-FAS-ET-NEFAS, adv. [Per fas et nefas; L.]

Through or by right and wrong; by any means.

PER'FECT, a. [L. perfectus, perficio, to complete; per and facio, to do or make through, to carry to the end.]

1. Finished; complete; consummate; not defective; having all that is requisite to its nature and kind; as, a perfect statue; a perfect likeness; a perfect work; a perfect system. As full, as perfect in a hair as heart. – Pope.
2. Fully informed; completely skilled; as, men perfect in the use of arms; perfect in discipline.
3. Complete in moral excellencies. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect. – Matth. v.
4. Manifesting perfection. My strength is made perfect in weakness. – 2 Cor. xii. Perfect chord, in music, a concord or union of sounds which is perfectly coalescent and agreeable to the ear, as the fifth and the octave; a perfect consonance. A perfect flower, in botany, has both stamen and pistil, or at least anther and stigma. – Martyn. Perfect tense, in grammar, the preterit tense; a tense which expresses an act completed.

PERFECT, v.t. [L. perfectus, perficio.]

1. To finish or complete so as to leave nothing wanting; to give to any thing all that is requisite to its nature and kind; as, to perfect a picture or statue. – 2 Chron. viii. Inquire into the nature and properties of things, and thereby perfect our ideas of distinct species. – Locke. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. – 1 John iv.
2. To instruct fully; to make fully skillful; as, to perfect one's self in the rules of music or architecture; to perfect soldiers in discipline.

PER'FECT-ED, pp.

Finished; completed.

PER'FECT-ER, n.

One that makes perfect. – Broome.

PER-FECT-I-BIL'I-TY, n. [from perfectible.]

The capacity of becoming or being made perfect.

PER-FECT'I-BLE, a.

Capable of becoming or being made perfect, or of arriving at the utmost perfection of the species.

PER'FECT-ING, ppr.

Finishing; completing; consummating.

PER-FEC'TION, n. [L. perfectio.]

1. The state of being perfect or complete, so that nothing requisite is wanting; as, perfection in an art or science; perfection in a system of morals.
2. Physical perfection, is when a natural object has all its powers, faculties or qualities entire and in full vigor, and all its parts in due proportion. – Encyc.
3. Metaphysical or transcendental perfection, is the possession of all the essential attributes or all the parts necessary to the integrity of a substance. This is absolute, where all defect is recluded, such as the perfection of God; or according to its kind, as in created things. – Encyc.
4. Moral perfection, is the complete possession of all moral excellence, as in the Supreme Being; or the possession of such moral qualities and virtues as a thing is capable of.
5. A quality, endowment or acquirement completely excellent, or of great worth. In this sense, the word has a plural. What tongue can her perfections tell? – Sidney.
6. An inherent or essential attribute of supreme or infinite excellence; or one perfect in its kind; as, the perfections of God. The infinite power, holiness, justice, benevolence and wisdom of God are denominated his perfections.
7. Exactness; as, to imitate a model to perfection.