perse

adjective (1)

\ ˈpərs

Definition of perse

(Entry 1 of 4)

: of a dark grayish blue resembling indigo

per se

adverb

\ (ˌ)pər-ˈsā also per-ˈsā or (ˌ)pər-ˈsē

Definition of per se (Entry 2 of 4)

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

per se

adjective (2)

Definition of per se (Entry 3 of 4)

: being such inherently, clearly, or as a matter of law a per se conflict of interest

Perse

biographical name

Definition of Perse (Entry 4 of 4)

St. John — see Aléxis Saint-Léger léger

Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about perse

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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: Adjective

More of a group character portrait than a story per se, Sarah DeLappe’s debut play is fascinatingly unconventional, essentially eavesdropping on a high school girls’ soccer team during practice. — Sam Hurwitt, The Mercury News, "‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ adds sizzle to new Bay Area theater season," 9 Sep. 2019 Overview Come to think of it, there’s also no transmission, per se; the power delivery is direct drive by a toothed belt and ring gear transmission to the rear axle. — Arv Voss, Houston Chronicle, "BMW C evolution: Maxi-scooter with non-liquid juice," 7 Sep. 2019 Much of the populist anger in U.S. doesn’t stem from inequality per se. — Karl W. Smith, Twin Cities, "Karl W. Smith: The good news about income inequality," 15 Sep. 2019 Microsoft hasn’t seemed to care that much about market share, per se, in terms of evaluating Windows’ reach. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Microsoft did it: Windows 10 now powers over half of the world's PCs," 6 Sep. 2019 There’s no traditional plot here; there’s nothing the characters are working towards, per se, except the end of their lives, really. — Rachel Epstein, Marie Claire, "Jennifer Weiner's 'Mrs. Everything' Is Untraditional in Every Sense," 2 Sep. 2019 Granted maybe your grandma won't approve this look, per se. — Bianca Nieves, Teen Vogue, "How to Wear Fall 2019's Cardigan Trend, Now," 29 Aug. 2019 That likely would not create a stable wormhole, per se, as the cosmic strings would eventually vibrate themselves into nothingness. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "How to Build a Wormhole," 27 Aug. 2019 But this list also underscores the reality that for her, getting trade deals done per se is not a particularly high priority. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Elizabeth Warren’s vision for changing America’s trade policy, explained," 29 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'perse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of perse was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for perse

per se

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of per se

formal : by, of, or in itself

See the full definition for per se in the English Language Learners Dictionary

per se

adverb

\ pər-ˈsā, ˌper-; pər-ˈsē

Legal Definition of per se

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

adjective

Legal Definition of per se (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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