per se
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Latin per se (“by itself”), from per (“by, through”), and se (“itself, himself, herself, themselves”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Adverb[edit]
per se (not comparable)
- By itself; without consideration of extraneous factors.
- The law makes drunk driving illegal per se.
- (chiefly in negative polarity environments) As such; as one would expect from the name.
- Well, that's not correct per se, but the situation is something like that.
- (law) As a matter of law.
Usage notes[edit]
- Because this is originally a Latin phrase, it is sometimes italicized when it is written.
Quotations[edit]
- For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.
Translations[edit]
by itself
Anagrams[edit]
Dutch[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Latin per se (“by itself”), from per (“by, through”), and se (“itself, himself, herself, themselves”).
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA: /pɛrˈseː/
Alternative forms[edit]
- (obsolete since spelling reform of 1995) persé
Adverb[edit]
- necessarily, absolutely, without fail
- (rare) per se
Usage notes[edit]
The ‘necessity’ meaning is the usual one; the original Latin meaning as in English is rarely used and can be misunderstood.
Anagrams[edit]
Latin[edit]
Adverb[edit]
- per se
- by itself
- through itself
