/perr/ ; unstressed /peuhr/ , prep.
1. for each; for every: Membership costs ten dollars per year. This cloth is two dollars per yard.
2. by means of; by; through: I am sending the recipe per messenger.
3. according to; in accordance with: I delivered the box per your instructions.
adv.
4. Informal. each; for each one: The charge for window-washing was five dollars per.
[ 1580-90; ]
Usage . PER for a or an or for each occurs chiefly in technical or statistical contexts: miles per gallon; work-hours per week; feet per second; gallons of beer per person per year. It is also common in sports commentary: He averaged 16 points per quarter. PER is sometimes criticized in business writing in the sense "according to" and is rare in literary writing.