perfeito

Forms

perfeito (feminine perfeita, masculine plural perfeitos, feminine plural perfeitas)^[1] Houaiss records perfeito, perfecto and perffeyta in the 14th century and perfeta in the 15th;^[2][3] Cunha has perffeito in the 14th.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin perfectus (“finished, complete”), the past participle of perficiō (“to finish, accomplish”).^[2][3][1] The Latin /kt/ became /jt/, as in feito, so García de Diego counts the Portuguese and Galician word among the popular outcomes of the Latin one, while Spanish perfecto is a learned borrowing in Spanish.^[4][5] The 14th-century spelling Old Galician-Portuguese perfecto shows the Latin form beside the popular one.^[2] Morais and Vieira still treat the word as the irregular past participle of perfazer.^[6][7] Nascentes observes that the sense improved: from “made to the end, finished” to “without a fault”.^[8]

The same Latin word is Italian perfetto, French parfait, and Occitan perfièch.^[9][1]

The Latin verb is formed from per-, a completive prefix, and faciō (“to do, make”).^[10]

Semantic evolution

Cardoso in 1569 renders the word by Latin exactus and absolutus, and Bluteau defines it as having all the qualities that nature or art require.^[11][12] Morais in 1789 lists “finished”, “well finished”, “having all the parts nature gives to its kind”, “without moral fault” and the grammatical tense that denotes a finished action.^[6] The intensifying use with a noun of blame (um perfeito parvo) is recorded by the original Caldas Aulete.^[13] The DLP also records perfeito! as an exclamation of approval.^[14]

Timeline

• 14th century – first records, spelt perfeito, perffeito, perfecto.^[2][3]
• 1569 – Cardoso renders it by exactus and absolutus.^[11]
• 1755 – Folqman gives não há gosto perfeito “there is no pleasure without alloy”.^[15]
• 1789 – Morais lists the grammatical sense of the tense of a finished action.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Without any defect; having the best qualities: Ninguém é perfeito.^[2][16][17]
2. Complete, total, utter, also with a word of blame: um perfeito disparate.^[2][13]
3. Outstanding; masterly (magistral).^[2][17]
4. Skilful, practised.^[2]
5. Shapely, handsome.^[2]
6. (law) In accordance with the legal requirements.^[2]
7. (botany) Having all the distinctive parts, such as a flower with calyx, corolla, stamens and pistil.^[2]
8. (music) Of a chord: of three notes containing a perfect fifth in root position.^[2][17]
9. (mathematics) Of a number: equal to the sum of its aliquot parts.^[17]

Noun

1. (grammar) The perfect tense, expressing an action or state seen as completed.^[2][14][1]

Interjection

1. Expressing approval or satisfaction: Perfeito!^[14]

Word family

• perfeitamente
• amor-perfeito
• mais-que-perfeito

Related words

• aperfeiçoar
• perfeição
• imperfeito
• perfectivo
• perfazer
• feito
• Latin perfectus
• Spanish perfecto

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Houaiss, Antônio; Villar, Mauro de Salles (2001), Dicionário Houaiss da língua portuguesa, Rio de Janeiro: Objetiva, p. s.v. perfeito
3. ^ a b c d Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2010), Dicionário etimológico da língua portuguesa, 4th ed., Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, p. s.v. perfeito
4. ^ García de Diego, Vicente (1985), Diccionario etimológico español e hispánico, 2nd ed., Madrid: Espasa-Calpe (1st ed. 1954), p. s.v. perfectus
5. ^ Corominas, Joan (1973), Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana, 3rd ed., Madrid: Gredos, p. s.v. perfecto
6. ^ a b c Silva, António de Morais (1789), Diccionario da lingua portugueza composto pelo padre D. Rafael Bluteau, reformado, e accrescentado, 2 vols., Lisboa: Simão Thaddeo Ferreira, p. 2, 187
7. ^ Vieira, Frei Domingos (1871–1874), Grande Diccionario Portuguez ou Thesouro da lingua portugueza, 5 vols., Porto: Ernesto Chardron e Bartholomeu H. de Moraes, p. 4, 760
8. ^ Nascentes, Antenor (1966), Dicionário etimológico resumido, Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Nacional do Livro, p. s.v. perfeito
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter, p. 6408
10. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. perfectus
11. ^ a b Cardoso, Jerónimo (1569–1570), Dictionarium ex lusitanico in latinum sermonem, Lisboa: João Álvares (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. perfeito
12. ^ Bluteau, Raphael (1712–1728), Vocabulario portuguez e latino, 8 vols. + 2 supplement vols., Coimbra / Lisboa (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. perfeito
13. ^ a b Aulete, Francisco Júlio Caldas, Dicionário contemporâneo da língua portuguesa (1st ed. 1881), online as Aulete Digital, Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon, https://aulete.com.br, p. s.v. perfeito
14. ^ a b c Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa, revised online edition (2023–) of the Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa Contemporânea (2001), https://dicionario.acad-ciencias.pt, p. s.v. perfeito
15. ^ Folqman, Carlos (1755), Diccionario portuguez, e latino, Lisboa: Régia Officina Silviana (CLP transcription, Universidade de Aveiro), p. s.v. perfeito
16. ^ Ferreira, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda, Novo dicionário Aurélio da língua portuguesa, digital edition, p. s.v. perfeito
17. ^ a b c d Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Priberam Informática, https://dicionario.priberam.org, p. s.v. perfeito