from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Perfect \Per"fect\ (p[~e]r"f[e^]kt), a. [OE. parfit, OF. parfit,
parfet, parfait, F. parfait, L. perfectus, p. p. of perficere
to carry to the end, to perform, finish, perfect; per (see
{Per-}) + facere to make, do. See {Fact}.]
1. Brought to consummation or completeness; completed; not
defective nor redundant; having all the properties or
qualities requisite to its nature and kind; without flaw,
fault, or blemish; without error; mature; whole; pure;
sound; right; correct.
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My strength is made perfect in weakness. --2 Cor.
xii. 9.
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Three glorious suns, each one a perfect sun. --Shak.
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I fear I am not in my perfect mind. --Shak.
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O most entire perfect sacrifice! --Keble.
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God made thee perfect, not immutable. --Milton.
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2. Well informed; certain; sure.
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I am perfect that the Pannonians are now in arms.
--Shak.
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3. (Bot.) Hermaphrodite; having both stamens and pistils; --
said of a flower.
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{Perfect cadence} (Mus.), a complete and satisfactory close
in the harmony, as upon the tonic preceded by the
dominant.
{Perfect chord} (Mus.), a concord or union of sounds which is
perfectly coalescent and agreeable to the ear, as the
unison, octave, fifth, and fourth; a perfect consonance; a
common chord in its original position of keynote, third,
fifth, and octave.
{Perfect number} (Arith.), a number equal to the sum of all
its divisors; as, 28, whose aliquot parts, or divisors,
are 14, 7, 4, 2, 1. See {Abundant number}, under
{Abundant}. --Brande & C.
{Perfect tense} (Gram.), a tense which expresses an act or
state completed; also called the {perfective tense}.
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Syn: Finished; consummate; complete; entire; faultless;
blameless; unblemished.
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