I. ˈpər-fikt adjective
Etymology: Middle English parfit, from Anglo-French, from Latin perfectus, from past participle of perficere to carry out, perfect, from per- thoroughly + facere to make, do — more at do
Date: 14th century
1.
a. : being entirely without fault or defect : flawless
a perfect diamond
b. : satisfying all requirements : accurate
c. : corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept
a perfect gentleman
d. : faithfully reproducing the original ; specifically : letter-perfect
e. : legally valid
2. : expert , proficient
practice makes perfect
3.
a. : pure , total
b. : lacking in no essential detail : complete
c. obsolete : sane
d. : absolute , unequivocal
enjoys perfect happiness
e. : of an extreme kind : unmitigated
a perfect brat
an act of perfect foolishness
4. obsolete : mature
5. : of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or verbal that expresses an action or state completed at the time of speaking or at a time spoken of
6. obsolete
a. : certain , sure
b. : contented , satisfied
7. of a musical interval : belonging to the consonances unison, fourth, fifth, and octave which retain their character when inverted and when raised or lowered by a half step become augmented or diminished
8.
a. : sexually mature and fully differentiated
a perfect insect
b. : having both stamens and pistils in the same flower
a perfect flower
• per·fect·ness -fik(t)-nəs noun
Synonyms:
perfect , whole , entire , intact mean not lacking or faulty in any particular. perfect implies the soundness and the excellence of every part, element, or quality of a thing frequently as an unattainable or theoretical state
a perfect set of teeth
whole suggests a completeness or perfection that can be sought, gained, or regained
felt like a whole person again after vacation
entire implies perfection deriving from integrity, soundness, or completeness of a thing
the entire Beethoven corpus
intact implies retention of perfection of a thing in its natural or original state
the boat survived the storm intact
II. pər-ˈfekt also ˈpər-fikt transitive verb
Date: 14th century
1. : to bring to final form
2. : to make perfect : improve , refine
• per·fect·er noun
III. ˈpər-fikt noun
Date: 1841
: the perfect tense of a language ; also : a verb form in the perfect tense