Per"fect (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Perfected;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Perfecting.]
[L. perfectus, p. p. of
perficere. See Perfect, a.]
To make perfect; to finish or complete, so as to leave nothing wanting; to give to anything all that is requisite to its nature and kind.
God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfect in us.
1 John iv.
12. Inquire into the nature and properties of the things, . . . and thereby perfect our ideas of their distinct species.
Locke.
Perfecting press (Print.), a press in which the printing on both sides of the paper is
completed in one passage through the machine.
Syn. -- To finish; accomplish; complete; consummate.
Per"fect (?), n. The perfect tense, or a form in that
tense.
Per"fect (?), a. [OE.
parfit, OF. parfit, parfet, parfait, F. parfait, L. perfectus,
p. p. of
perficere to carry to the end, to perform, finish, perfect; per (see Per-) + facere to make, do. See
Fact.]
1. Brought to consummation or completeness; completed;
not defective nor redundant; having all the properties or qualities requisite to its nature and kind; without flaw, fault, or blemish; without error; mature; whole; pure; sound; right; correct.
My strength is made perfect in weakness.
2 Cor. xii. 9. Three glorious suns, each one a perfect sun.
Shak. I fear I am not in my perfect mind.
Shak. O most entire perfect sacrifice!
Keble.
God made thee perfect, not immutable.
Milton. 2. Well informed; certain; sure.
I am perfect that the Pannonains are now in arms.
Shak.
3. (Bot.) Hermaphrodite; having
both stamens and pistils; -- said of flower.
Perfect cadence (Mus.), a complete and satisfactory close in harmony, as upon the tonic preceded by the dominant. -- Perfect chord (Mus.), a concord or union of sounds which is perfectly coalescent and agreeable to the ear, as the unison, octave, fifth, and fourth; a perfect consonance; a common chord in its
original position of keynote, third, fifth, and octave. -- Perfect number
(Arith.), a number equal to the
sum of all its divisors; as, 28, whose aliquot parts, or divisors, are 14, 7, 4, 2, 1. See Abundant number, under Abundant. Brande & C. -- Perfect tense (Gram.), a tense which
expresses an act or state completed.
Syn. -- Finished;
consummate; complete;
entire; faultless; blameless; unblemished.
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