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.
Per"fect (?), n. The perfect tense,
or a form in that tense.
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.