Parfit

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Being without fault or defect, especially in an old poetic sense ; referring to Derek Parfit, an influential British philosopher known for his work on identity and ethics
2. Describing the highest degree of excellence in archaic or literary usage ; the surname of Derek Parfit, a prominent figure in analytic philosophy
3. An old-fashioned way to mean flawless or complete ; the name of a British thinker recognized for contributions to moral philosophy

Etymology: "Parfit" is a doublet of "perfect." Both come from Latin "perfectus," the past participle of "perficere," meaning "to complete" or "to carry through," from "per-" ("thoroughly") and "facere" ("to make" or "do"). The original sense was therefore closer to "thoroughly finished" than to "flawless." English took the word through Old French, where the form was "parfait." Its spelling in English shows that route, and it was common in Middle English, when writers used it for anything excellent, complete, or without fault. English later borrowed "perfect" directly from Latin, with the Latin spelling restored, and the two forms split into a formal word and an old-fashioned one. "Parfit" survived mainly in poetry and archaic usage, where it still carries the older sense of something brought fully to completion.

Synonyms: perfect, flawless, ideal, impeccable, immaculate

Antonyms: imperfect, flawed, defective, imperfected, faulty