perse

1 of 3

adjective (1)

ˈpərs 

: of a dark grayish blue resembling indigo

per se

2 of 3

adverb

(ˌ)pər-ˈsā,

 also  per-ˈsā,

or

(ˌ)pər-ˈsē 

: by, of, or in itself or oneself or themselves : as such : intrinsically

per se

3 of 3

adjective (2)

: being such inherently, clearly, or as a matter of law

a per se conflict of interest

Did you know?

We generally use per se to distinguish between something in its narrow sense and some larger thing that it represents. Thus, you may have no objection to educational testing per se, but rather to the way testing is done. An opposition party may attack a president's policy not because they dislike the policy per se but because they want to weaken the president. And when New York's police chief decided to crack down on small crimes, it wasn't the small crimes per se that were his target, but instead the larger crimes which he believed would be reduced because of this new approach.

Examples of perse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

The contention is that the definition of AGI should be fully standalone and not rely upon references to AI fields or subfields (which are subject to change, and otherwise seemingly unnecessary to strictly define AGI per se). —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025

None of you guys were really metal fans or even particularly cared much about metal per se. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025

Adjective

There was never a plan to work together per se, Benny says. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025

These are passer ratings per se and do not include a QB’s running stats. —Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English pers, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin persus

Adverb

Latin

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1574, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

circa 1655, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for perse

• curse
• hearse
• purse
• terse
• vers
• verse
• worse
• adverse
• averse
• coerce
• disburse
• disperse

Legal Definition

per se

1 of 2 adverb

pər-ˈsā, ˌper-; pər-ˈsē 

1

: inherently, strictly, or by operation of statute, constitutional provision or doctrine, or case law

the transaction was illegal per se

see also negligence per se at negligence, nuisance per se at nuisance

2

: without proof of special damages or reference to extrinsic circumstances

defamatory statements that were actionable per se

compare per quod

per se

2 of 2 adjective

: being such inherently, clearly, or by operation of statute, constitutional provision or doctrine, or case law

it is clear that licensing of adult entertainment establishments is not a per se violation of the First Amendment

—Club Southern Burlesque, Inc. v. City of Carrollton, 457 S.E.2d 816 (1995)

a per se conflict of interest

Etymology

Adverb

Latin, by, of, or in itself

Biographical Definition

Perse

biographical name

St. John see Aléxis Saint-Léger léger