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Origin and history of per

per(prep.)

"through, by means of," 1580s (earlier in various Latin and French phrases, in the latter often par), from Latin per "through, during, by means of, on account of, as in," from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through, in front of, before, first, chief, toward, near, around, against."

also from 1580s

Entries linking to per

par(prep.)

"by, for," mid-13c., from Old French par, per, from Latin per (see per). It figures in some French phrases borrowed into English and in the formation of some words (parboil, pardon, parvenu). In some older borrowings from French it has been re-Latinized to per- (perceive, perfect, perform, pertain).

par excellence

French, from Latin per excellentiam "by the way of excellence." French par "by, through, by way of, by means of" is from Latin per (see per). For second element, see excellence.

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paradise
late Old English, "the garden of Eden," from Old French paradis "paradise, garden of Eden" (11c.), from Late Latin paradisus "a park, an orchard; the garden of Eden, the abode of the blessed," from Greek paradeisos "a park; paradise, the garden of Eden," from an Iranian source si
paramount
"supreme, superior in power or jurisdiction," 1530s, from Anglo-French paramont, Old French paramont "above" (in place, order, degree), mid-14c., from Old French par "by," from Latin per "through, for, by" (see per (prep.)) + amont "up," from a mont "upward" (see amount (v.)). Th
parboil
late 14c., parboilen, "to boil partially;" mid-15c., "to boil thoroughly," from Old French parboillir "to boil thoroughly," from Medieval Latin perbullire "to boil thoroughly," from Latin per "through, thoroughly" (see per (prep.)) + bullire "to boil" (see boil (v.)). The etymolo
mileage
From 1837 as "fixed rate per mile," originally for use of railroad cars....Of a motor vehicle, "miles driven per gallon of gasoline," by 1912....
experience
," present participle of experiri "to try, test," from ex "out of" (see ex-) + peritus "experienced, tested," from PIE *per-yo...-, suffixed form of root *per- (3) "to try, risk."...
perdurable
perpetual" (12c.) and directly from Medieval Latin perdurabilis "lasting," from Latin perdurare "to last, hold out," from per...
holmium
holmia "holmium oxide," name of an earth identified and named in Modern Latin by the earth's discoverer, Swedish chemist Per...
strike
Middle English striken, from Old English strican (past tense strac, past participle stricen) "pass lightly over, stroke, smooth, rub" (senses now obsolete), also "go, move, proceed, make one's way," from Proto-Germanic *strikanan (source also of Old Norse strykva "to stroke," Old
exploit
late 14c., "outcome of an action," from Old French esploit "a carrying out; achievement, result; gain, advantage" (12c., Modern French exploit), a very common word, used in senses of "action, deed, profit, achievement," from Latin explicitum "a thing settled, ended, or displayed,
epiphany
early 14c., "festival of the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles" (celebrated Jan. 6; usually with a capital -E-), from Old French epiphanie, from Late Latin epiphania, neuter plural (taken as feminine singular), from late Greek epiphaneia "manifestation, striking appearance,

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