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Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
perfect adj 1 complete in all essential elements. 2 faultless; flawless. 3 excellent; absolutely satisfactory. 4 exact a perfect circle. 5 colloq absolute; utter perfect nonsense. 6 bot having androecium and gynaecium in the same flower. 7 grammar said of the tense or aspect of a verb: denoting an action completed at some time in the past or prior to the time spoken of. noun grammar 1 the perfect tense, in English formed with the auxiliary verb have and the past participle, denoting an action completed in the past (present perfect, eg I have written the letter) or was or will be completed at the time being spoken of (past perfect or pluperfect, eg I had written the letter; future perfect, eg I will have written the letter). 2 a verb in a perfect tense. Compare future, past, present1, imperfect, pluperfect, progressive. verb (perfected, perfecting) 1 to improve something to one's satisfaction perfect one's Italian. 2 to finalize or complete. 3 to develop (a technique, etc) to a reliable standard. perfectness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 13c: from Latin perficere to complete.
perfect adj 1 complete in all essential elements. 2 faultless; flawless. 3 excellent; absolutely satisfactory. 4 exact a perfect circle. 5 colloq absolute; utter perfect nonsense. 6 bot having androecium and gynaecium in the same flower. 7 grammar said of the tense or aspect of a verb: denoting an action completed at some time in the past or prior to the time spoken of. noun grammar 1 the perfect tense, in English formed with the auxiliary verb have and the past participle, denoting an action completed in the past (present perfect, eg I have written the letter) or was or will be completed at the time being spoken of (past perfect or pluperfect, eg I had written the letter; future perfect, eg I will have written the letter). 2 a verb in a perfect tense. Compare future, past, present1, imperfect, pluperfect, progressive. verb (perfected, perfecting) 1 to improve something to one's satisfaction perfect one's Italian. 2 to finalize or complete. 3 to develop (a technique, etc) to a reliable standard. perfectness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 13c: from Latin perficere to complete.
perfect adj 1 complete in all essential elements. 2 faultless; flawless. 3 excellent; absolutely satisfactory. 4 exact a perfect circle. 5 colloq absolute; utter perfect nonsense. 6 bot having androecium and gynaecium in the same flower. 7 grammar said of the tense or aspect of a verb: denoting an action completed at some time in the past or prior to the time spoken of. noun grammar 1 the perfect tense, in English formed with the auxiliary verb have and the past participle, denoting an action completed in the past (present perfect, eg I have written the letter) or was or will be completed at the time being spoken of (past perfect or pluperfect, eg I had written the letter; future perfect, eg I will have written the letter). 2 a verb in a perfect tense. Compare future, past, present1, imperfect, pluperfect, progressive. verb (perfected, perfecting) 1 to improve something to one's satisfaction perfect one's Italian. 2 to finalize or complete. 3 to develop (a technique, etc) to a reliable standard. perfectness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 13c: from Latin perficere to complete.
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The Chambers Dictionary (13th edition)
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The unrivalled dictionary for word lovers, now in its 13th edition.
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The Chambers Thesaurus
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Chambers Biographical Dictionary
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Thoroughly revised and updated for its 9th edition.
Consult Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, The Chambers Thesaurus (1996) or Chambers Biographical Dictionary (1997 edition with amendments). Enter your search and choose your title from the drop-down menu.
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