/ ɪmˈpɜːfɪkt; NAmE -ˈpɜːrf-/ adjective , noun
■ adjective
containing faults or mistakes; not complete or perfect
SYN flawed :
an imperfect world
an imperfect understanding of English
All our sale items are slightly imperfect.
► im·per·fect·ly adverb
■ noun
the imperfect (also the imˌperfect ˈtense ) [ sing. ] ( grammar ) the verb tense that expresses action in the past that is not complete. It is often called the past progressive or past continuous :
In 'while I was washing my hair', the verb is in the imperfect .
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English imparfit , imperfet , from Old French imparfait , from Latin imperfectus , from in- not + perfectus completed, from the verb perficere , from per- through, completely + facere do. The spelling change in the 16th cent. was due to association with the Latin form.