"P" Word Origins

perfecto

Latin

Borrowed from Spanish perfecto, "perfect", from Latin perfectus.

perfidy

Origin

From Middle French perfidie, from Latin perfidia from perfidus (“faithless, treacherous, false”), from fides (“faith”); related to, for example, English fidelity.

perforate

Origin

The adjective is first attested in 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English perforat(e) (“perforated, pierced”), borrowed from Latin perforātus, the perfect passive participle of perforō (“to bore or pierce through, to perforate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from per- (“through, thorough”) + forō (“to bore, pierce”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

perform

Old French

From Anglo-Norman performer, an alteration of Old French parfornir, "to complete, accomplish", from par- + fornir ("to furnish").

performance

Middle English

From Middle English parfourmaunce, formed from "perform" plus the suffix "-ance".

performant

Origin

From perform + -ant (suffix forming agent nouns from verbs, and adjectives from verbs with the senses of ‘doing (the action of the verb’)), possibly modelled after informant.

performing

Origin

From perform + -ing.

perfume

Latin

From Middle French parfum, ultimately from Latin per ("through") and fumare ("to smoke"), originally referring to scented smoke.

perfumed

Origin

From perfume (noun and verb) + -ed.

perfunctory

Origin

From Late Latin perfunctōrius (“careless, negligent”), from the past participial stem of perfungor, perfunct- (“perform, carry through”), from per- + fungor.

perfusion

Latin

From Latin perfusio, from perfundere meaning 'to pour over', from per 'through' and fundere 'to pour'.

pergola

Origin

Borrowed from Italian pergola, from Latin pergula.

perhaps

Middle English

From Middle English perhappes, formed from "per" plus "hap" ("chance") and the adverbial suffix "-s".

peri

Persian

From Persian pari via Ottoman Turkish peri, denoting a supernatural winged being in Persian myth.

pericardial

Latin

From Greek peri- ("around") plus cardial ("relating to the heart").

pericardium

Greek

A learned borrowing from Greek perikardion, from peri- ("around") + kardia ("heart").

Pericles

Latin

From Latin Periclēs, from Ancient Greek Περικλῆς (Periklês, “far-famed”), from περί (perí, “around”) + κλέος (kléos, “glory”).

periculous

Origin

Borrowed from Latin periculosus (“dangerous, hazardous, perilous”). Doublet of perilous.

periegesis

Origin

Borrowed from Koine Greek περιήγησις (periḗgēsis, “the action of being shown around, as by a guide (chiefly in the titles of works)”), from Ancient Greek περι- (peri-, “around, surrounding”) + ἥγησις (hḗgēsis, “command, leading”) (from ἡγέομαι (hēgéomai, “to lead”) + -σῐς (-sĭs, noun-forming suffix)), from περιηγεῖσθαι (periēgeîsthai, “to lead around”); compare Late Latin periegesis. Cognate with Greek περιήγηση (periígisi, “tour, sightseeing”).

perihelion

Origin

PIE word *sóh₂wl̥ From perihelium (“perihelion”) (obsolete) + -ion (suffix used for other names of apsides). Perihelium is borrowed from Late Latin perihelium, from Ancient Greek περι- (peri-, “around; surrounding”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“before, in front; first”)) + ἥλιος (hḗlios, “sun”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ (“sun”)), which was modelled after perigeum (“point in an orbit about the Earth that is closest to the Earth, perigee”).

peril

Latin

From Old French peril, from Latin periculum ("danger, risk, trial").

perilous

Latin

From Old French perilleus, built from peril + -ous, echoing Latin periculosus.

perimeter

Greek

From Greek perimetros, from peri- ("around") + metron ("measure").

perineum

Greek

From Greek perineon, from peri 'around' and inan 'to excrete'.

period

Greek

From Greek periodos ("a circuit, a recurring interval"), from peri- ("around") + hodos ("way").

periodic

French

From French périodique, ultimately from Greek periodos ("cycle").

periodically

Origin

From periodic + the adverb suffix -ally.

periodontal

Origin

From Ancient Greek περί (perí, “around”) + ὀδούς (odoús, “a tooth”).

peripheral

Greek

From periphery + -al, ultimately from Greek peripherēs ("carried around, revolving").

periphery

Middle French

Via Middle French periphérie, from Greek peripherēs ("carried around").

periplus

Origin

From Latin periplūs (“account of a voyage”) and Ancient Greek περίπλους (períplous, “voyage, naval manouver, account of a voyage”), from περί (perí, “peri-: around”) + πλοῦς (ploûs, “voyage”), from πλεῖν (pleîn, “to sail”). Cf. French périple, Spanish periplo, & Italian periplo.

periscope

Origin

Built in English from peri- ("around") + -scope ("instrument for viewing").

periscopic

Origin

From periscope + -ic.

periscopically

Origin

From periscopic + -ally.

perish

Latin

From Old French perir, from Latin perire ("to pass away"), from per- ("through") + ire ("to go").

perishable

Latin

From perish, from Old French perir, from Latin perire meaning 'to pass away, be destroyed', plus the suffix -able.

peristalsis

Greek

From Greek peristaltikos, from peristellein 'to wrap around', from peri- 'around' and stellein 'to place, send'.

periwig

Origin

Alteration of Middle French perruque. Doublet of peruke.

periwinkle

Latin

From Old English perwince, ultimately from Latin pervinca, the name of the flowering plant.

perjure

Latin

From Old French parjurer, from Latin periurare ("to swear falsely").

perjurer

Origin

From perjure + -er.

perjury

Latin

From Anglo-Norman perjurie, from Latin periurare ("to swear falsely").

perk

Origin

A clipped form of "perquisite."

perky

Origin

From perk + the adjective suffix -y.

perm

Origin

A shortening of "permanent," since the curls were meant to last.

permafrost

Origin

From "perma-" (permanent) + "frost."

permanence

Latin

From Middle French permanence, from Latin permanere ("to remain, to last").

permanency

Origin

From Latin permanentia. Compare permanence.