per-

(word root) through, very

Examples of words with the root per-: pervert, pervade, perfect

per-

pref.

1. Thoroughly; completely; intensely: perfervid.

2. Containing an element in its highest oxidation state: perchloric acid.

3. Containing a large or the largest possible proportion of an element: peroxide.

4. Containing the peroxy group: peracid.

[Latin, from per, through; see per in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

per-

prefix

1. through: pervade.

2. throughout: perennial.

3. away, beyond: perfidy.

4. completely, throughly: perplex.

5. (intensifier): perfervid.

6. (Elements & Compounds) indicating that a chemical compound contains a high proportion of a specified element: peroxide; perchloride.

7. (Elements & Compounds) indicating that a chemical element is in a higher than usual state of oxidation: permanganate; perchlorate.

8. (Elements & Compounds) (not in technical usage) a variant of peroxy-: persulphuric acid.

[from Latin per through]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

per

(pɜr; unstressed pər)

prep.

1. for or in each or every; a or an: Membership costs $10 per year.

2. according to; in accordance with: I delivered the box per your instructions.

3. by means of; by; through: Send it per messenger.

adv.

4. Informal. each; for each one: The charge was five dollars per.

Idioms:

as per, according to; in accordance with: arranged as per instructions.

[1580–90; < Latin: through, by, for, for each. See for]

usage: per meaning “for each” occurs chiefly in technical or statistical contexts: miles per gallon; cost per person. It is also common in sports commentary: 16 points per quarter.A or an is often considered more suitable in nontechnical use. per or as per meaning “according to” is sometimes criticized and is rare in edited writing.

per-

1. a prefix meaning “through,” “thoroughly,” “utterly,” “very”: pervert; pervade; perfect.

2. a prefix used in the names of inorganic acids and their salts that possess the maximum amount of the element specified in the base word: percarbonic (H₂C₂O₅) acid; potassium permanganate (KMnO₄).

[< Latin, prefixal use of per per]

Per.

1. Persia.

2. Persian.

per.

1. percentile.

2. period.

3. person.