per se
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Latin per se (“‘by itself’”), from per (“‘by, through’”), and se (“‘itself, himself, herself, themselves’”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Adverb
per se (not comparable)
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Superlative |
- By itself; without consideration of extraneous factors.
[edit] Usage notes
Because this is a Latin phrase, it is usually italicized when written.
[edit] Translations
by itself
[edit] Dutch
[edit] Etymology
From Latin per se (“‘by itself’”), from per (“‘by, through’”), and se (“‘itself, himself, herself, themselves’”).
[edit] Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈpɛr ˈse/
[edit] Alternative spellings
- (obsolete since spelling reform of 1995) persé
[edit] Adverb
- necessarily, absolutely, without fail
- (rarely) per se
[edit] Usage notes
The ‘necessity meaning’ is the usual one, the original Latin meaning as in English is rarely used and can be misunderstood.
[edit] Latin
[edit] Adverb
- per se
- by itself
- through itself
