Perfect

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈpɜː.fɪkt/

Definitions

1. Having all necessary elements or qualities to the highest degree without flaw ; a mathematical term describing an ideal form or number meeting specific criteria ; possessing moral excellence or being without error
2. Complete and flawless in every aspect ; in mathematics, relating to a number or shape meeting exact conditions ; exhibiting exemplary virtue or faultlessness
3. Absolute and entire in quality or condition ; used in math to denote a special classification of numbers or figures ; characterized by being free from defects or mistakes

Etymology: The word's original sense was simply "finished" or "completed," not "flawless." Its Latin source, "perfectus," is the past participle of "perficere," built from "per-" (through, thorough) and "facere" (to do, to make), so the core idea is a thing that has been carried all the way through to its end. Flawlessness came later, as a natural extension: something finished thoroughly has no loose ends left undone. The English form arrived through Old French "parfit," which became "parfait" in modern French. English first borrowed it in Middle English as "perfit," and in the 15th century writers altered the spelling to match the Latin original, which is why we now write "perfect." That makes it a doublet of "parfait," meaning two forms of one word that entered the language by different routes. The adjective also gave rise to the verb "to perfect," which means to bring something to completion or to improve it until no faults remain. Earlier English had its own word for this idea, "fulfremed," which the Latin-derived term displaced.

Synonyms: flawless, impeccable, ideal, complete, exemplary

Antonyms: imperfect, flawed, defective, incomplete, substandard