/ ˈpɜːpətreɪt; NAmE ˈpɜːrp-/ verb
[ vn ] perpetrate sth (against / upon / on sb) ( formal ) to commit a crime or do sth wrong or evil :
to perpetrate a crime / fraud / massacre
violence perpetrated against women and children
► per·pet·ra·tion / ˌpɜːpəˈtreɪʃn; NAmE ˌpɜːrp-/ noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent.: from Latin perpetrat- performed, from the verb perpetrare , from per- to completion + patrare bring about. In Latin the act perpetrated might be good or bad; in English the verb was first used in the statutes referring to crime, which led to the negative association.