per se
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[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)
- 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.
[edit] Usage notes
- Because this is originally a Latin phrase, it is sometimes italicized when it is written.
[edit] Quotations
- For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.
[edit] Translations
by itself
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[edit] Anagrams
[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 forms
- (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] Anagrams
[edit] Latin
[edit] Adverb
- per se
- by itself
- through itself
