▪ I. per, prep.
(pə(r), pɜː(r))
A Latin (Ital. and Old French) preposition, meaning ‘through, by, by means of’; in med.L. and Fr. also in a distributive sense = ‘for every{ddd}, for each{ddd}’: used in Eng. in various Latin and OF. phrases, and ultimately becoming practically an Eng. preposition used freely before substantives of many classes.
I. In Lat. phrases (including med.L. and Italian).
1. a. per accidens († also quasi-anglicized as per accidence) [= Gr. κατὰ συµβεβηκός] by accident, by virtue of some accessory or non-essential circumstance, contingently, indirectly. Opposed to per se.
| 1528 Paynel tr. Salerne's Regim. (1541) 49 b, Water that is temperately colde, doth somtyme per accidence, stere one to haue an appetite. 1572 [see per se]. c 1590 Marlowe Faust. iii. 46 (1878) Did not my conjuring speeches raise thee? speak. Meph. That was the cause, but yet per accidens. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 221 Causes per se, and Causes per Accidens working the same Effects. a 1680 Charnock Wks. (1865) III. 230 This punishment is only accidental to the gospel, it becomes the savour of death per accidens, because of the unbelief of those that reject it. |
b. In
Logic applied to conversion in which the quantity of the proposition is changed from universal to particular: see
conversion 4.
Called by Boethius
Conversio per accidens, because the particular affirmation in this case serves
indirectly as converse for a universal affirmation with whose subaltern particular it is directly (
principaliter) convertible. Aristotle's term was ἀντιστρόϕη κατὰ µέρος
= ‘conversion as to a part’ because only part of the statement is converted.
| [a 525 Boethius de Syllogismo Categorico i. (ed. Basil. 1570, 539) Per accidens autem converti dicitur particularis affirmatio universali affirmationi, quia particularis affirmatio sibi ipsi principali convertitur.] 1677 T. Good Brief Tract. Logic 27 Conversion per Accidens is a change of the Subject into the place of the Predicate, et contra, keeping the same Quality, but changing of Quantity. 1840 Whately Logic 78 This might be fairly named conversion by limitation; but is commonly called Conversion per accidens. 1843 Mill Logic (1856) ii. i. §2 This process, which converts an universal proposition into a particular, is termed conversion per accidens. |
2. per annum, (so much) by the year, every year, yearly: almost always in reference to a sum of money paid or received.
| 1601 R. Johnson Kingd. & Commw. (1603) 89 The professor in divinity, hath per annum 1125 florens. 1677 A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 152 At present there is at least five hundred pounds per Annum, paid. 1886 D. C. Murray Cynic Fortune xii, An income of a hundred pounds per annum. |
3. per consequens (
† also
per consequent [
= F.
par conséquent],
per consequence), by consequence, consequently.
| c 1386 Chaucer Sompn. T. 484 An odious meschief This day bityd is to myn ordre and me And so per [v.r. par] consequens in ech degre Of hooly chirche. 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) iv. xxvi. 71 Than ben they al euene, and per consequens theyr wyttes shold ben euen. c 1532 G. Du Wes Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 959 Howe one may make dyverse..sentences with one worde, and perconsequent come shortely to the french speche. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. i. ii. iii. i, So per consequens, disturbing the Soul. |
4. per contra [
It.].
a. On the opposite side (of an account, etc.); on the other hand; as a set-off. See
contra C. 1.
| 1554 Prat Africa Ep. A v b, Honour..doth the noble man ateyne; which..preferreth and aduanceth his pore seruauntes; per contra in how much displeasure with God,..doth he incur in whose seruyce his poore seruantes do not floryshe. 1588 J. Mellis Briefe Instr. D vj, And when this [Creditor] side or the Debitor side is full written, that you mynde to make it euen with the Debitor syde per contra. 1750 Chesterfield Lett. (1774) II. 38 When I cast up your account..I rejoice to see the balance so much in your favour; and that the items per contra are so few. 1820 J. Scott in Lond. Mag. Jan., Refer, as per contra, to MacIvor's ideas. a 1832 Bentham Deontol. xi. (1834) I. 157 This will be the account on the side of profit. Per contra, he will be led to estimate—i. Sickness [etc.]. 1840 Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. i. Acc. New Play, Per contra, he'd lately endow'd a new Chantry. 1903 R. Fry Let. 16 Mar. (1972) I. 206 The article won't do the magazine much good, but per contra it won't do anyone..any harm. 1919 J. Stephenson Princ. & Pract. Commerc. Corr. iii. iii. 181 Your cash remittance of {pstlg}1,000 of the 1st inst. came duly to hand and per contra we have purchased Frs. 25,000 French Gold Rente, which we send you enclosed. 1924 A. Huxley Let. 9 Aug. (1969) 231 The people who have deliberately set out to put great thoughts into verse have generally been the worst poets on record. But, per contra, the best poets have generally implied or directly expressed great thoughts. 1940 G. F.-H. & J. Berkeley Italy in Making III. iii. 52 The Sicilians had only one great enthusiasm—to free their island from the hated Neapolitans... Per contra, the Neapolitans' first aim was to maintain their hold on Sicily. 1976 Listener 12 Aug. 172/1 Writers from this centre of England..suggest a centrality of English experience... Per contra, some explorers..have found a too-muchness in this green country. |
b. as
n. The opposite side (of an account, etc.). Also as
adj.| 1804 Mrs. E. Merry Let. in Mem. Moore (1856) VIII. 52 Matter arises every instant that you would convert into amusement, but the per contra makes us both bear the deprivation of your society with resignation. 1846 Mrs. Gore Eng. Char. (1852) 123 Without any per-contra of sums withdrawn therefrom. 1880 J. Payn Confid. Agent III. 119 There must be something..to the per contra. 1972 Times 11 May (Spain Suppl.) p. iv/3 A similar list prepared by the The Banker, but based on deposits less per contra accounts, of world bank groups included two Spanish banks only. |
5. per diem.
a. (So much) by the day, every day, daily. (
Cf. per annum.)
| 1520 Rutland Papers (Camden) 42 Labovrers heired, xl at vjd. per diem. 1625 Purchas Pilgrims II. vi. iv. 867 His entertainement was twentie fiue shillings per diem. 1742 Fielding J. Andrews i. viii, To attend twice per diem at the polite churches and chapels. 1835 Ure Philos. Manuf. 348 The work-people were paid 1000l. per diem in these several factories. 1906 Arch. Roentgen Ray XI. 18/2 When the method of treatment by fractional doses is carried out—for instance, ½X to 1X per diem—the quantimetric method alone is impossible. 1920 A. Huxley Let. 23 Dec. (1969) 193, I have to go to at least two and sometimes three theatres per diem and write about them afterwards. 1979 C. Dexter Service of All Dead xxxiii. 194 We're all ageing at the standard rate of twenty-four hours per diem. |
b. as
n. An amount or allowance of so much every day. Also as
adj. Chiefly
U.S.| 1809 Deb. Congress U.S. 13 Feb. (1853) 350 Officers of the United States..have received..the per diem allowance fixed by law. 1812 Weekly Reg. 18 Jan. 361/2 The per diem of the members has been raised to four dollars. 1839 Congress. Globe 25th Congress 3 Sess. App. 66/1 In that case, had he asked for his mileage and per diem, all would have considered it an insult. 1846 T. L. McKenney Mem. I. ix. 192, I referred to him the making up of my account for my per diem allowance. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. II. App. 650 Members of the Legislature shall receive..a per diem and mileage;..such per diem shall not exceed eight dollars. 1897 Outing (U.S.) June 281/2 In addition to the per diem above stated. 1946 E. Hodgins Mr. Blandings builds his Dream House xiii. 195 He would..happily replace the tubs at a per diem rate. 1973 R. Hayes Hungarian Game xxxviii. 228 If I made the flight I could crib another twenty dollars on my per diem. 1974 R. Thomas Porkchoppers v. 39 He got another $10,000 a year from the union in per diem and expenses. 1977 D. James Spy at Evening iv. 21, I liked the job. I accepted. ‘A per diem of fifty pounds—travel expenses in addition.’ |
6. per mensem, (so much) every month:
cf. 2, 5.
| 1647 Kingd. Weekly Intelligencer No. 238. 758 (Stanf.) The addition of forty thousand pounds per mensem to the present sixty thousand pounds. 1810 T. Williamson E. Ind. Vade-M. I. 284 The manjy is usually paid from five to seven rupees per mensem. 1886 Kipling Departm. Ditties (ed. 2) 3 A nice retaining fee Supplied, of course, per mensem, by the Indian Treasury. 1916 ‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin vi. 88 The sum of ten shillings per mensem was supposed..to suffice for the midshipmen's needs in the way of extras. 1965 New Statesman 24 Sept. 466/3 (Advt.), The amounts mentioned below refer to Malayan dollars (per mensem) and their approximate sterling equivalent. 1974 Nature 30 Aug. p. xxvii/1 (Advt.), This scholarship carries a stipend of M$700 per mensem for the first 12 months followed by M$800 per mensem beyond that period. |
7. per procurationem (commonly abbreviated
per proc.,
per pro.,
p.p.; sometimes read as
per procuration): by procuration, by the action of a procurator or official agent, by proxy or deputy.
| 1819 in Barnewall & Cresswell Reports (1828) VII. 280 Six months after date pay to my order 1560l., for value received: T. Burleigh. Accepted per procuration of G. G. H. Munnings.—S. Munnings. 1882 Bithell Counting-ho. Dict. (1893) 242 In commerce it is usual to employ the well⁓known Latin phrase ‘per procurationem’, to call attention to the fact that a signature is made by proxy. Ibid. 224 The phrase ‘per procurationem’ is commonly contracted into ‘p.p.’ 1895 Daily News 9 Apr. 3/6 Owing to ill health, she allowed him to sign ‘per pro’. |
8. per saltum, by a leap, at one bound, without intermediate steps, all at once. (Rarely
attrib.)
| 1600 W. Watson Decacordon (1602) 14 Others to be but doctors of clowts, per saltum. 1640 Chr. Harvie Synagogue xii, To take degrees, per saltum, though of quick Dispatch, is but a truants trick. 1679 J. Goodman Penit. Pard. ii. i. (1713) 151 In hopes to be made saints per saltum. 1842–3 Grove Corr. Phys. Forces (1874) 150 To account for the per saltum manner in which chemical combinations take place. |
9. per se.
a. By or in itself (himself, herself, themselves); intrinsically, essentially; without reference to anything (or any one) else.
| 1572 Whitgift Wks. (1852) II. 83 For they belong unto God properly and per se, to man per accidens. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. i. ii. 15 They say he is a very man per se and stands alone. 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. I. s.v., We say a Thing is considered Per se, when 'tis taken in the Abstract, and without Connexion with other things. 1748 Franklin Lett. Wks 1840 V. 211 Air is an electric per se. 1883 Sir J. C. Mathew in Law Rep. 11 Q. B. Div. 392 It was very questionable whether the words used were defamatory per se. |
† b. Formerly used in naming a letter which by itself forms a word (
A per se,
I per se,
O per se), or a symbol which by itself stands for a word (
and per se = &,
ampersand); hence allusively: see
A,
I,
O (the letters).
| c 1475 [see A (the letter) IV]. a 1530 J. Heywood Weather (Brandl) 104 Some saye I am I perse I. 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. 36, & per se, con per se [see Christ-cross 3]. |
10. In various phrases, as
per antiphrasin,
per arsin et thesin,
per deliquium (see
antiphrasis,
arsis,
deliquium2);
per aliud, by or in another entity; extrinsically; with reference to anything else;
per anum, by the anus, applied
esp. to anal sexual intercourse;
per capita (
Law), ‘by heads’, (
a) applied to succession when divided among a number of individuals in equal shares (
opp. to
per stirpes); (
b)
= per caput;
per caput, per person or head (of population); also as
adj. phr.;
per curiam (
Law), ‘by action of the court’, applied to a judgement, of concise and peremptory character, formulated by the whole bench;
freq. attrib.;
per fas et (aut) nefas, by right and (or) wrong, by means fair or foul;
per impossibile (
Logic), ‘as is impossible’, a qualification governing a proposition which can never be true;
per incuriam (
Law), ‘by carelessness’, applied to a judicial decision evidently contrary to the law or facts; also
transf.;
per interim, for the meantime, during the intervening time;
per mil,
per mille, in every thousand;
per minima, through the minutest particles;
per pares, by (his) peers;
per primam Med., in full
per primam intentionem, ‘by first intention’ (see
intention 10 b);
per quod (
Law), ‘whereby’, a phrase formerly used, in order to maintain the action, in a declaration of special damage;
per stirpes (
Law), ‘by stocks’ or ‘families’; applied to succession when divided in equal shares among the branches of the family, the share of each branch being then subdivided equally among the representatives of that branch (
opp. to
per capita).
| 1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. II. xvii. 42 To say that we feel a sensation's seat to be ‘in the brain’ or ‘against the eye’ or ‘under the skin’ is to say as much about it and to deal with it in as non-primitive a way as to say that it is a mile off. These are all secondary perceptions, ways of defining the sensation's seat per *aliud. 1948 Mind LVII. 127 St. Thomas's proof [is] that the existence of finite beings, since it is per aliud, must be derived from something that exists per se. |
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vii. lix. (1495) r vj b/1 A postume..hyghte Herisipila, that is holy fyre per *Antifrasim, that is by contrary manere spekynge. 1670 R. Lassels Voy. Italy i. 153 An Academy of Wits, called Gli Otiosi, or Idle⁓men,..per antiphrasin, because they are not idle. |
| 1838 Guy's Hosp. Rep. III. 340 The constant symptom..was the passing of blood per *anum. 1972 P. Green Shadow of Parthenon 160 Their liking for intercourse per anum, perhaps to preserve their virginity for the marriage market. 1972 Mod. Law Rev. XXXV. 107 Sexual intercourse per anum. |
| 1597 Morley Introd. Mus. ii. 114 If..you make a Canon per *arsin & thesin, without anie discorde in binding maner in it. |
| 1682 Warburton Hist. Guernsey (1822) 90 Patrimonial estates are divided per stirpes; purchased estates, per *capita. 1766 Blackstone Comm. II. xiv. 217 Their representatives..became themselves principals, and shared the inheritance per capita, that is, share and share alike. 1926 Fowler Mod. Eng. Usage 428/2 The entire production of opium in India is two grammes per capita yearly. This use is a modern blunder, encouraged in some recent dictionaries. 1941 Wyndham Lewis Let. 9 Nov. (1963) 306 It [sc. Canada] reads less per capita than any other known civilised population. 1942 J. S. Huxley in Harper's Mag. Sept. 340/2 The U.S.S.R., in spite of its low per capita wealth, [etc.]. 1952 [see growth1 1 c]. 1955 Times 6 July 8/4 Saving per capita varies considerably from territory to territory, and in each territory from year to year, according to the study. 1965 New Statesman 30 Apr. 672/3 For the bulk of humanity per capita consumption remains the same. 1974 Times 25 Apr. 17/7 Let us have..an electoral system that secures proper proportionate representation both per capita and by party. 1975 ‘D. Jordan’ Black Account 246 Geneva Airport, I always feel, is the richest airport in the world..in terms of per capita elegance, tailoring, luggage, comfort. 1975 Sci. Amer. Nov. 56/1 Per capita incomes have declined in recent years. |
| 1919 W. T. Grenfell Labrador Doctor (1920) iii. 60 By special arrangement with the railway and other friends, and by very simple living, the per *caput charges were so much reduced that many of the boys not only paid their own expenses, but even helped their friends. 1962 Times 21 May (Commonw. Chambers of Commerce Suppl.) p. v/5 India plans to..raise the present per caput income in the country. 1970 K. J. Parker in G. G. Birch et al. Glucose Syrups v. 77 The current total per caput consumption of refined sugar is higher in Britain (112 lb) than in the USA (99·7 lb). 1976 Lancet 13 Nov. 1050/2 It may be argued that the per-caput cigarette consumption is not a good measure of the cigarette consumption in young women. 1978 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts CXXVI. 651/2 The Harbin Transistor Plant was achieving very high per caput sales. |
| 1890 Cent. Dict., Per *curiam, in law, by the court: a phrase prefixed to judicial opinions indicating the sanction of the court to the statements therein, as distinguished from the individual opinions of a particular judge. 1955 Bull. Atomic Sci. Oct. 309/2 It was a brief per curiam decision in a case which involved no contested issue. 1959 Jowitt Dict. Eng. Law II. 1327/2 Per curiam, per cur., by the court. 1972 N.Y. Law Jrnl. 24 Oct. 2/1 Per curiam: Order reversed, with..costs and defendant's motion..granted. 1973 Ibid. 20 Feb. 4/4 If a court writes a per curiam opinion like this, what justification is there for demanding better writing from attorneys? |
| 1666 Boyle Orig. Formes & Qual. ii. iii, As neither oil of tartar per *deliquium, nor spirit of salt will dissolve silver, so both the one and the other will precipitate it. |
| 1600 W. Watson Decacordon (1602) 96 margin, To maintaine their reputation, per *fas aut nefas they care not how. 1771 Junius Lett. xliv. (1772) II. 153 Likely enough to be resisted per fas et nefas. |
| 1847 A. De Morgan Formal Logic vii. 132 The moods Baroko and Bokardo do not admit of reduction to the first figure, by any fair use of the phrase: but the logicians were determined that they should do so, and they accordingly hit upon the following plan, which they called reduction per *impossibile. 1883 F. H. Bradley Princ. Logic i. vii. 217 If, I say, per impossibile this phantom could be real—..the above chance of irregularity would vanish. 1896 L. T. Hobhouse Theory of Knowl. 199 It was a onesided error to suggest that the immediate object of vision is colour or rows of coloured points from which, per impossibile, extension was conceived as removed. 1912 A. Lang Shakespeare, Bacon & Gt. Unknown xii. 267 If he knew that the author was Bacon, and knew it under pledge of secrecy, and was asked (per impossibile) ‘Who wrote these plays?’ he had only to say, ‘Look at the title-page.’ 1923 H. W. B. Joseph Labour Theory of Value in Karl Marx vi. 145 And supposing the equilibrium in an equal exchange were per impossibile between satisfaction on one side and sacrifice on the other, such equilibrium could only be said to exist in single exchanges independently. 1935 Mind XLIV. 237 Butler's ‘let it be allowed’ that virtue could not be justified if (per impossibile) it were contrary to self-interest. 1963 J. Lyons Structural Semantics iii. 42 Suppose, per impossibile, that we were transported as investigating linguists to Athens of the fifth century b.c. 1972 Times Lit. Suppl. 22 Dec. 1550/4 Have you for the moment forgotten per impossibile in which opera the chorus ‘Upon our sea-girt land’ occurs. |
| 1867 Wharton Law Lexicon (ed. 4) 709/1 Per *incuriam, through want of care. 1925 F. Newbolt Out of Court iii. 162 To attain this object you should first succeed in life, and have your portrait, or per incuriam that of a confusing name⁓sake, inserted in a good picture paper. 1963 Times 24 Apr. 5/2 Mr. Puntan now appealed against that order; and his Lordship was afraid that the Divisional Court had acted per incuriam in making the order they did. 1970 Internat. & Compar. Law Q. XIX. 340 Parts of the judgement must be regarded as given per incuriam, and cannot be relied upon. 1976 Phipson's Law of Evidence (ed. 12) xxix. 677 A document omitted per incuriam was allowed to be put in by the prosecution during the reply. |
| 1724 Lond. Gaz. No. 6315/1 The Director of Mentz is charged with the Vote of the Electorate of Bohemia per *interim. |
| 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXI. 404/2 The bottom waters have almost uniformly a salinity of 34·8 per *mille, corresponding closely with the bottom waters of the south Atlantic. 1957 A. Grimble Return to Islands 102 Perhaps five or six per mil of his parishioners at most. 1957 L. F. R. Williams State of Israel 189 Infant mortality among the Arab community has fallen steadily to about 60 per mille of live births. 1972 Nature 25 Feb. 417/1 The seasonal amplitude is reduced to around 2 per mille. 1972 Science 22 Sept. 1099/3 The sulfur isotopic values on the west side averaged around 5·3 per mil. |
| 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. I, If Silver and Lead be melted together, they will mingle and be united with one another per *minima. |
| a 1734 North Exam. i. ii. §159 (1740) 120 His Lordship had stood his Trial per *Pares. |
| 1907 Practitioner Sept. 335 The wound healed per *primam, except at the drain opening, and this was quite closed on the eighteenth day. Ibid. 336 Union per primam without any trouble. 1957 H. N. Harkins in J. G. Allen et al. Surgery ii. 9/1 Healing of wounds can be divided into 3 types: (1) Healing by first intention (per primam intensionum [sic]: primary union). |
| 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. viii. 124 It is necessary that the plaintiff should aver some particular damage to have happened; which is called laying his action with a per *quod. 1682 Per *stirpes [see per capita above]. 1766 Blackstone Comm. II. xiv. 218 The law of England..would still divide it only into three parts and distribute it per stirpes. 1881 H. W. Nicholson Fr. Sword to Share xiv. 96 Intestate property goes to lineal descendants per stirpes. |
II. 1. a. In
OF. phrases, some of which occur also with the more usual form
par,
q.v.,
e.g. per charite,
per company, etc.; others are
† per maistrie, ‘by mastery’, by conquest;
per my et per tout (
Law), ‘by half and by all’, by joint-tenancy;
per pais,
per pays (
Law), ‘by the country’: see
pais. See also
peradventure,
percase,
perchance,
perfay,
perforce,
perquer.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 164 Bi þe se side he nam, & wan it *per maistrie. |
| 1628 Coke tr. Littleton in Inst. 186a, Euery ioyntenant is seised of the land which hee holdeth ioyntly Per *my & per tout. 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. I. s.v., A Joynt-Tenant is said to be seised of the Lands that he holds jointly Per my & per tout; that is, he is seised by every Parcel, and by the whole. 1828 Edin. Rev. Sept. 97 A province of literature of which they were formerly seised per my et per tout. |
| 1614 Selden Titles Hon. 280 Speciall Bastardie is triable per *Pais. 1664, 1768 [see pais]. 1828 D. le Marchant Rep. Claims to Barony of Gardner p. xxxvi, The tenant in possession offered issue, either in grand assize or per pays. |
b. As a prefix in nonce-advbs. after
perchance,
perhaps, as
per-hazard,
per-likelihood.
| 1807 J. Barlow Columb. vi. 423 And some war minister per-hazard reads In what far field the tool of placemen bleeds. 1834–43 Southey Doctor ccxliv. (1848) 665/1 Discourses which perchance, and (I fear) per-likelihood, it may be thy fortune to hear..at thy parish church. |
2. In
Heraldry, in phrases denoting partition of the shield in the direction of any of the principal ordinaries (per
bend, per
chevron, per
cross, per
fesse, per
pale, per
saltire): see these words; also
parted,
party a. Also
per long: see
quots. s.v. indentilly.
III. As an English preposition.
1. By, by means of, by the instrumentality of;
esp. in phrases relating to conveyance, as
per bearer,
per carrier,
per express,
per post,
per rail,
per steamer, etc. Also
= according to, as stated or indicated by, as
per invoice,
per ledger,
per margin, etc.; as laid down by (a judge) (
quot. 1818). So, in humorous slang use,
(as) per usual = as usual; also with ellipsis of
usual. Also (exceptionally) in other senses, as
per this time = by this time,
per instance = for instance (
cf. F.
par exemple). Also in other humorous and extended uses.
| 1588 J. Mellis Briefe Instr. G j b, And for euery Debitor yee shall say. Per such one N., as appeareth in my olde booke A in such a leafe. 1599 Child-Marriages 179 Receiued, one pacquet of Lettres per poste dyrected to Mr. Maior. 1618 R. Cocks Diary (Hakl. Soc.) II. 28 Yet, per the pleasure of God, got her affe. 1675 in J. Easton Narr. (1858) 103, I hope my Brother, Knapton, Sharpe, &c. will bee here per first. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 231 ¶4, I send you by this Bearer, and not per Bearer, a Dozen of that Claret. 1765 in J. Hancock his Bk. (1898) 80 My late Uncle (of whose sudden death you have undoubtedly per this time heard). 1770 T. Davies in J. Granger's Lett. (1805) 49 Send me, per return of the post, a proper acknowledgement. 1782 Town & Country Mag. Dec. 669/1, I stood with the squadron, as per margin, to the southward, all that night. 1798 Wordsw. Let. to Cottle 28 Aug. in Sotheran's Catal. (1899) 57, A very pleasant journey per foot, per waggon, per coach, per post-chaise. 1804 Something Odd I. 122 They're all ready and willing..per instance, Sir Somebody Something [etc.]. 1810 Capt. Tucker in Naval Chron. XXIV. 336 Men, selected as per margin. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 485 But, per Holt, the estate was limited by way of use to the issues female. 1874 W. S. Gilbert Charity iv, I shall accompany him, as per usual. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 343 As per usual somebody's nose was out of joint. 1923 ‘K. Mansfield’ Bad Idea in Doves' Nest 146 So I took her up a cup of tea..as per usual on her headache days. 1938 J. Phelan Lifer xxi. 212 That's right,..no grounds, as per. 1959 N. Marsh False Scent (1960) i. 12 He'll be bringing his present later on, as per usual. 1960 S. Barstow Kind of Loving ii. vii. 263, I reckon after tonight we can't carry on as per. 1960 ‘B. Mather’ Pass beyond Kashmir xviii. 240 It'll have to be per boot again—and across country at that. 1966 ‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 115 The Butler boys returned home (as per precedent) from breaking-in up north. 1966 Rev. Mod. Physics XXXVIII. 221/2 Look at one of the product tableaux obtained as per previous instructions with the markings 1, or 2,..or N in the various squares inserted. 1972 ‘A. Armstrong’ One Jump Ahead i. 13, I came back as per usual about five o'clock. 1972 Mod. Law Rev. XXXV. 58 It cannot make a bare declaration (see per Lord Hailsham L.C., H.L.Deb., Vol. 318, col. 936). 1977 J. Bingham Marriage Bureau Murders i. 9 I'll stay in a pub... As per usual. |
2. a. In distributive sense, following words of number or quantity in expressions denoting rate or proportion: For each{ddd}, for every{ddd}:
= a prep.1 8 b,
by prep. 24 c. See also
per cent,
cent1 2. Also with ellipsis of
cent,
head,
hour,
week, etc.
| 1598 Barret Theor. Warres 54, 7 rankes at 2 men per ranke in the fore angles. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xiii. (1623) 732 Euery one of ech sexe..should pay by the head, or per Pol as they call it, twelue pence. 1663 Gerbier Counsel 69 Three shillings per doozen. 1689 Apol. Walker's Acc. Siege Londonderry 24 Twenty pounds Fine per Month. 1703 Maundrell Journ. Jerus. (1721) 67 It is ordinarily fourteen Dollars per head. 1734 Builder's Dict. I. F vij b (Bricks), Their usual Price is from twelve to sixteen Shillings per Hundred. 1800 Asiat. Ann. Reg., Hist. Ind. 26/1 The allowance..was one thousand rupees per day. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 546 To charge the work at per foot. 1887 C. A. Moloney Forestry W. Afr. 151 It was worth from 4s. to 4s. 6d. per pound. 1899 G. W. Peck Uncle Ike iii. 31 Listened to a heavenly choir that is paid a hundred dollars per. 1901 Hide & Leather 24 Aug. 30/2 He now sits in the Usher's box near the entrance to the jobbing house and draws $10 per. 1903 ‘J. Flynt’ Rise of R. Clowd iii. 111 The percentage that Ruderick was to receive excited the liveliest interest... ‘I wouldn't give any kid more'n twenty-five per.’ a 1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) II. iv. 86 We'll get married as soon as he has a raise to twelve per. 1911 J. London Let. 18 Oct. (1966) 353 To exploit the mediocre for the consumption of mediocrity at so much exultantly per. 1935 J. N. Chance Wheels in Forest viii. 153 The road is clear at eleven ten, and Lombard is here at eleven nineteen. That's nine minutes; an average of eighty miles per. 1946 [see beef n. 4]. 1973 E. McGirr Bardel's Murder ii. 52 ‘[He] thinks his two daughters have been got at by the chauffeur.’.. ‘I phoned up old Sir Omicron Pie, who kicks us back fifty per on the surgery.’ 1976 New Yorker 23 Feb. 28/2 Many of the chain hotels are run by managing directors who have wives who think they are interior decorators and get on the payroll at twenty-five thousand per. |
b. In nonce-vbs. formed on phrases belonging to this sense, as
per-sheet, to charge at so much per sheet; per-cent v.,
q.v.| 1805 Southey Let. to J. Rickman 22 Mar. in Life (1850) II. 319 Per-sheeting was in use as early as Martin Luther's time, who mentions the price—a curious fact. |
▪ II. per obs. f. pear n.;
var. pear v.
Obs.