3 VERB To percolate somewhere means to pass slowly through something that has very small holes or gaps in it. □ [V prep/adv] Rainwater will only percolate through slowly.
per|co|la|tor /pɜː r kəle I tə r / (percolators ) N‑COUNT A percolator is a piece of equipment for making and serving coffee, in which steam passes through crushed coffee beans.
per|cus|sion /pə r kʌ ʃ ə n/
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Percussion instruments are musical instruments that you hit, such as drums.
2 N‑SING The percussion is the section of an orchestra which consists of percussion instruments such as drums and cymbals.
per|cus|sion|ist /pə r kʌ ʃ ə n I st/ (percussionists ) N‑COUNT A percussionist is a person who plays percussion instruments such as drums.
per|cus|sive /pə r kʌ s I v/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Percussive sounds are like the sound of drums. □ …using all manner of percussive effects.
per diem /pə r diː əm/ N‑SING [oft N n] A per diem is an amount of money that someone is given to cover their daily expenses while they are working. [mainly AM ] □ He received a per diem allowance to cover his travel expenses.
per|di|tion /pɜː r d I ʃ ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT If you say that someone is on the road to perdition , you mean that their behaviour is likely to lead them to failure and disaster. [LITERARY ]
per|egrine fal|con /pe r I gr I n fɔː lkən/ (peregrine falcons ) N‑COUNT A peregrine falcon or a peregrine is a bird of prey.
per|emp|tory /pəre mptəri/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Someone who does something in a peremptory way does it in a way that shows that they expect to be obeyed immediately. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ With a brief, almost peremptory gesture he pointed to a chair. ● per|emp|to|ri|ly /pəre mptər I li/ ADV [ADV with v] □ 'Hello!' the voice said, more peremptorily. 'Who is it? Who do you want?'
per|en|nial /pəre niəl/ (perennials )
1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use perennial to describe situations or states that keep occurring or which seem to exist all the time; used especially to describe problems or difficulties. □ …the perennial urban problems of crime and homelessness. ● per|en|ni|al|ly ADV [usu ADV adj] □ Both services are perennially short of staff.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A perennial plant lives for several years and has flowers each year. □ …a perennial herb with greenish-yellow flowers. ● N‑COUNT Perennial is also a noun. □ …a low-growing perennial.
pe|re|stroi|ka /pe r I strɔ I kə/ N‑UNCOUNT Perestroika is a term which was used to describe the changing political and social structure of the former Soviet Union during the late 1980s.
per|fect ◆◆◇ (perfects , perfecting , perfected ) The adjective is pronounced /pɜː r f I kt/. The verb is pronounced /pə r fe kt/. 1 ADJ Something that is perfect is as good as it could possibly be. □ He spoke perfect English. □ Hiring a nanny has turned out to be the perfect solution. □ Nobody is perfect.
2 ADJ If you say that something is perfect for a particular person, thing, or activity, you are emphasizing that it is very suitable for them or for that activity. [EMPHASIS ] □ [+ for ] Carpet tiles are perfect for kitchens because they're easy to take up and wash. □ So this could be the perfect time to buy a home.
3 ADJ If an object or surface is perfect , it does not have any marks on it, or does not have any lumps, hollows, or cracks in it. □ Use only clean, Grade A, perfect eggs. □ …their perfect white teeth.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] You can use perfect to give emphasis to the noun following it. [EMPHASIS ] □ She was a perfect fool. □ What he had said to her made perfect sense.
5 VERB If you perfect something, you improve it so that it becomes as good as it can possibly be. □ [V n] We perfected a hand-signal system so that he could keep me informed of hazards.
6 ADJ [ADJ n] The perfect tenses of a verb are the ones used to talk about things that happened or began before a particular time, as in 'He's already left' and 'They had always liked her'. The present perfect tense is sometimes called the perfect tense.
7 → see also future , past perfect , present perfect
per|fec|tion /pə r fe kʃ ə n/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Perfection is the quality of being as good as it is possible for something of a particular kind to be. □ Physical perfection in a human being is exceedingly rare.
2 N‑UNCOUNT If you say that something is perfection , you mean that you think it is as good as it could possibly be. □ The house and garden were perfection.
3 N‑UNCOUNT The perfection of something such as a skill, system, or product involves making it as good as it could possibly be. □ [+ of ] Madame Clicquot is credited with the perfection of this technique.
4 PHRASE If something is done to perfection , it is done so well that it could not be done any better. □ …fresh fish, cooked to perfection.
per|fec|tion|ism /pə r fe kʃən I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Perfectionism is the attitude or behaviour of a perfectionist.
per|fec|tion|ist /pə r fe kʃən I st/ (perfectionists ) N‑COUNT Someone who is a perfectionist refuses to do or accept anything that is not as good as it could possibly be.
per|fect|ly ◆◇◇ /pɜː r f I ktli/
1 ADV [ADV adj/adv] You can use perfectly to emphasize an adjective or adverb, especially when you think the person you are talking to might doubt what you are saying. [EMPHASIS ] □ There's no reason why you can't have a perfectly normal child. □ They made it perfectly clear that it was pointless to go on. □ You know perfectly well what happened.