perfectionn.
/pəˈfɛkʃn/, U.S. /pərˈfɛkʃ(ə)n/ 1. † a. The fact, state, or condition of being completed or perfected; consummation, completion, end. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > completing > [noun] > fact or condition of being completed
perfection?c1225
final1582
consummation1604
ultimate1681
consummativeness1701
finish1801
pay-off1937
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 274 Hundred is ful tale. & noateð perfecciun. þet is fuldede.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 79 (MED) Uor charite ne is non oþer þing..þet is, þe ende, þet is, þe perfeccion and þe guodhedde.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. 1058 (MED) Priam..his cite and noble Ylyoun Hath fully brouȝt vn-to perfeccioun.
1489 W. Caxton tr. C. de Pisan Bk. Fayttes of Armes iii. xiii. 197 The thynge shal be conducted and brought to a gode endynge and perfection.
1563 2nd Tome Homelyes sig. Aaaa.iv When the fulnesse of time was come, that is, the perfection, and course of yeares, appoynted from the begynnyng.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. iv. 61 The third they called periodus, for a complement or full pause, and as a resting place and perfection of so much former speach as had bene vttered.
1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge iii. iv. sig. F3v Woman receiueth perfection by the man.
1679 G. Rose tr. P. Boaistuau Theatre of World 1st Pref. 5 This work (which I thank God, I have now brought to perfection).
1683 E. Chamberlayne Present State Eng. iii. 30 Nothing of this nature hath been brought to that perfection, as the Alum-works in Yorkshire, through the great Industry of Sir John Bourchier.
1737 Chamberlayne's Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (ed. 33) i. i. iii. 9 The Colliery here is brought to..Perfection.
b. The most complete or perfect stage of growth or development of a person or thing; maturity; ripeness. Also of a flower: full bloom.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > preparation > [noun] > state of being prepared or ready > state of being ripe or mature
ripenessOE
ripeOE
melchheadc1350
perfectiona1398
perfecturea1552
maturity1568
matureness1661
age1795
development1803
coming of age1881
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 68v Þe childe is I-bred and comeþ forþ in foure degrees..in þe furþe degre byfore ful perfeccioun [L. plenam perfectionem], 18 dayes.
?1566 J. Alday tr. P. Boaistuau Theatrum Mundi sig. S ij Although somewhat maye be added to all other Artes..this [printing] alone hath entred with such..perfection into this worlde, that [etc.].
1578–9 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1880) 1st Ser. III. 113 Seing his majestie dalie growand..to the gretar perfectioun of aig.
1611 Bible (King James) Luke viii. 14 They..bring no fruite to perfection . View more context for this quotation
a1682 Sir T. Browne Certain Misc. Tracts (1683) i. 38 He planted many [Cedars], though they did not come to perfection in his days.
1729 B. Mandeville Fable Bees ii. v. 219 The first Ananas, or Pine-apple, that was brought to Perfection in England, grew in his Garden at Richmond.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VII. 204 They continue in the womb till they come to such perfection as to be able to burst from the shell.
1855 H. H. Milman Hist. Lat. Christianity VI. xiv. v. 507 The creation, growth, perfection of new languages.
1881 S. Evans Evans's Leicestershire Words (new ed.) Fulth, fulness, full growth, perfection, as applied to flowers, &c.
1923 Amer. Jrnl. Bot. 10 474 The development of the edible fruit reaches perfection only when a high percentage of the achenes or drupelets set.
2002 Calgary (Alberta) Herald (Nexis) 15 Dec. (Special section) b8 To Aristotle, the body reached perfection at 35, the soul at age 50.
2. The condition or state of being morally or spiritually perfect; holiness; virtuous conduct. Christian perfection n. Christian holiness or righteousness; spec. the relatively perfect holiness attainable by a person, as distinct from the absolute divine perfection.counsel of perfection: see counsel n. 2b.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > absence of moral flaw > [noun] > moral perfection
perfection1340
society > faith > church government > monasticism > [noun] > monastic rule
regheleOE
rulea1225
perfection1340
livingc1350
rubric1809
society > morality > virtue > absence of moral flaw > [noun] > moral perfection > attainable by man
Christian perfection1626
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 98 (MED) Þe zeue uirtues..ous lede to þe zeue blissinges of perfeccion and of holy lyf.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. 436 (MED) Ther ben somme in special In whom that alle vertu duelleth, And tho ben..That god of his eleccioun Hath cleped to perfeccioun.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. 5853 (MED) Prestis..shulde þe worlde exemplifie With good doctrine of perfeccioun.
1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) xxi. ix. sig. ee.iii Therfore lady sythen ye haue taken you to perfeccion I must nedys take me to perfection.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) I. cxxxv. f. lxxiv Amonge theyse Bretherne was one named Cedman, a man of great perfeccion.
?a1560 in T. Wright Songs & Ballads Reign Philip & Mary (1860) 3 The lantarne to lead us in the pathe of perfecttyon.
1626 T. Hawkins tr. N. Caussin Holy Court I. i. 37 God seemeth to haue enchased all Christian perfection, in Charity.
a1678 A. Marvell Misc. Poems (1681) 81 Your voice..Shall draw Heav'n nearer,..And your example..will soon us to perfection lead.
1743 J. Wesley Serm. Christian Perfect. 8 Christian Perfection therefore does not imply..an Exemption either from Ignorance or Mistake, or Infirmities, or Temptations. Indeed it is only another Term for Holiness.
1789 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) IV. 445 The doctrine of Christian Perfection, which God has peculiarly entrusted to the Methodists.
1882 Contemp. Rev. 42 868 The grand aim of the Buddhist is to attain a perfection like Buddha's.
1942 New Eng. Q. 15 309 Is Christian perfection possible? Is it desirable?
1991 R. Howard tr. E. M. Cioran Anathemas & Admirations ii. 36 If Evil..were to withdraw from our lives, we should vegetate in that monotonous perfection of the Good which, according to Genesis, vexed Being itself.
3. gen.
a. The condition, state, or quality of being free from defect; flawlessness, faultlessness; purity. Also in weakened sense: supreme or comparative excellence.Now the usual sense.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > perfection > [noun]
fullfremednesseOE
perfectionc1350
perfectnessa1387
meurte1474
thummim1539
flourish1597
finishing1757
reproachlessness1803
perfectibility1809
sublimification1868
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 50 (MED) Þe ordre of deakne, Þet hys of more perfeccioun Þane hys ordre of sudeakne.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 116 Whanne þe mone comeþ in to þe schadewe of þe erþe, he lesiþ hire liȝt and hire fairnesse and perfeccioun.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iii. 4239 (MED) Owre englishe..was ful fer from al perfeccioun, And but of litel reputacioun.
a1500 (c1477) T. Norton Ordinal of Alchemy (BL Add.) (1975) 2370 (MED) The purire that youre meenys be, The more perfeccion therof ye shalle se.
1570 H. Billingsley in tr. Euclid Elements Geom. iii. Introd. f. 80v Of al figures the circle is of most absolute perfection.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 173 I would with such perfection gouerne Sir: T' Excell the Golden Age. View more context for this quotation
1629 F. Quarles Argalus & Parthenia ii. 1 There dwelt that Virgin, that Arcadian glory, Whose rare composure did abstract the story Of true perfection.
1712 J. Swift Proposal for Eng. Tongue 14 The Roman Language arrived at great Perfection before it began to decay.
1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. 154 A person, whose dress..is in the first style of perfection, is declared to be bang up to the mark.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps ii. xxvii. 376 In different glaciers,..these veins display various degrees of perfection.
1928 Vanity Fair Sept. 31/1 Crêpes Suzettes are pancakes raised by Cunard to a remarkable point of perfection.
2003 New Yorker 6 Jan. 53/1 Many dancers sacrifice their sense of pleasure in the quest for a kind of featureless perfection.
b. concrete. An embodiment of perfection; a perfect person or thing; the perfect example or epitome of a quality, type, etc. Also: †a manifestation of perfection (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [noun] > quality or fact of being extreme > highest, utmost, or extreme degree
heightOE
perfectiona1398
utterestc1410
uttermosta1425
tiptoec1440
pinnaclec1450
utmost1472
outmostc1535
extremity1543
abyss1548
top1552
furthest, utmost stretch1558
summa summarum1567
superlative1573
strain1576
extreme1595
fine1596
last1602
yondmost1608
super-superlative1623
pitch1624
utmostness1674
pink1720
supreme1817
ultima Thule1828
peak1902
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > perfection > [noun] > perfect person or thing
perfecta1382
perfection1597
cockall1602
impeccable1748
perfectibility1768
acea1796
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 39 Þe heed is perfite, & perfeccioun [L. perfectio] & ornament of al þe body.
a1400 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Hatton 12) in Eng. Writings (1931) 6 Þis boke of alle haly writte es mast vsed in haly kirkes servys, forthi þat in it es perfeccioun of dyuyne pagine.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III i. ii. 75 Voutsafe deuine perfection of a woman, Of these supposed euils to giue me leaue..but to acquite my selfe.
1611 Bible (King James) Lament. ii. 15 Is this the citie that men call the perfection of beauty? View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. iii. 100 It is a iudgement..most imperfect, That will confesse perfection [sc. Desdemona], so would erre Against all rules of Nature. View more context for this quotation
1706 T. Baker Hampstead Heath i. i. 3 The fair Berynthia, who by all Judges of fine Women, is said to be the Perfection of ev'ry thing.
1767 T. Hull Perplexities iii. 41 Perfection of prudence, as of loveliness!
c1830 S. Smith in Lady Holland Life I. 351 A beautiful girl..exclaimed, ‘Oh, Mr. Sydney! this pea will never come to perfection’. ‘Permit me then’, said he taking her hand,..‘to lead perfection to the pea’.
1852 E. M. Sewell Exper. of Life (1858) xviii. 128 This would be the very perfection of a dress for you.
1949 N. Mitford Love in Cold Climate ii. i Making a perfection of their homes at the same time as rearing large families of clever children.
1983 F. Warner Moving Reflections I. iii. 10 Was this the perfection of cities, the joy of the whole earth?
2003 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 18 Jan. 32 The historic road of motoring renown stretches from the first classic roadsters to today's sleek perfections.
c. The fineness or purity of a metal; (Alchemy) the complete purity which is the goal of transmuting base metals into gold. Now historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > qualities of metals > [noun] > fineness or purity
toucha1325
finesse1424
finance1473
fineness1532
purity1550
perfection1585
1585 R. Parsons Christian Directorie ii. i. iii. 645 Finallie to a gold-smithes forge which consumeth away the refuse metals, and fineth the gold to his perfection.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iv. iv. 214 The most famous golde is that of Caranava in Peru.., for that it riseth with his alloy and perfection, which is twenty three carrats and a halfe.
1652 E. Ashmole Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum Prolegomena sig. A4v Transmuting any Imperfect Earthy Matter into its utmost degree of Perfection; that is, to convert the basest of Metalls into perfect Gold and Silver.
1772 Philos. Trans. 1771 (Royal Soc.) 61 523 The ancients had not the art of refining silver, in so great perfection as it is now practised.
4. The most perfect or utmost degree; the height or extreme of a quality, condition, faculty, etc. In early use also: †the most perfect performance or execution of a virtue, ceremony, office, etc. (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > perfection > [noun] > peak of perfection
perfection1340
pointc1400
pinnaclec1450
firmament1526
tipe1548
vertical point1559
acmea1568
status1577
summity1588
sublimation1591
turret1593
topgallant1597
non ultra?1606
vertical1611
non plus ultra1647
ne ultraa1657
verticle1658
summit1661
ne plus ultra1664
ne plus1665
nonplus1670
tip-top1702
pink1720
sublime1748
eminencea1854
it1896
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 133 Huerinne is þe uolle of perfeccioun [c1450 Bk. Vices & Virtues perfiȝtnesse] of þise uirtue.
?c1450 (?a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 366 (MED) Moyses lawe is moralle in þis poynte þat longeth to þe perfeccyon of presthode.
a1500 tr. A. Chartier Traité de l'Esperance (Rawl.) (1974) 86 Thei wist not propirly to whom thei shulde or ought to do the perfeccioun of this honoure which lonith to the deite.
1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia iv. 125 The other Saluages assaulted the rest and slew them... But fearing this murther would come to light..would now proceed to the perfection of villanie.
1729 Bp. J. Butler Serm. xii, in Wks. (1874) II. 154 The perfection of goodness consists in love to the whole universe.
1842 M. R. Mitford in A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford (1870) III. ix. 142 The perfection of cunning is to conceal its own quality.
1854 H. H. Milman Hist. Lat. Christianity I. iii. vii. 468 With Gregory celibacy was the perfection of human nature.
1904 J. Conrad Nostromo iii. v. 324 A genius for treachery of so effective a kind that it must have appeared..as the perfection of sagacity and virtue.
1995 W. Weaver tr. U. Eco Island of Day Before 197 The perfection of love is not being loved, but being Lover.
5. The action, process, or fact of making something perfect or bringing something to (esp. successful) completion.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > completing > [noun]
enda1300
chevisancec1330
applyinga1382
perfectiona1382
pointc1385
finishmentc1400
accomplishingc1405
complement1419
consummationa1425
effecta1425
performinga1425
accomplishment1425
fining?1448
complishing1449
complishment1454
achevisauncec1475
achievement1477
perfectinga1513
cheving?1518
furniture1529
achievance1531
exploiture1531
exploiting1538
perimplishment1554
consummating1555
finishing?1563
chevance1570
coronation1582
crowning1586
adimpletion1624
fulfilment1624
complusmenta1628
completure1642
completement1652
transaction1655
patration1656
perfunction1656
completion1657
completing1727
ultimation1791
finality1833
perfectuation1859
fruition1885
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Num. vi. 21 So he shal do to þe perfeccioun of his holynes.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 16v Alle þe ordres [of angels]..be I-maad perteneres of derk mistik purgacouns, illuminacouns, schininges, & perfecciouns.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection Pref. sig. Aii Euery religiouse persone shulde intende the perfeccion of his soule.
1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie iv. i. 114 The auncients also had their superiours, which admonished them in the perfection of their dutie.
1678 W. Temple Let. to Ld. Treasurer in Wks. (1731) II. 479 After all the Applauses have been given me here upon the Perfection of the last Treaty.
1729 W. Law Serious Call v. 70 To make the most of a short life, to study your own perfection.
1768 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. 370 Admittance is the last stage, or perfection, of copyhold assurances.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby x Towards the full perfection of which [portrait], Miss La Crevy had had the street-door case brought upstairs.
1872 J. Morley Voltaire i. 10 For this process of perfection, we need first the meditative, doubting, critical type.
1940 Endocrinology 27 892 Work is now progressing..on the perfection of a suitable technic for the assay of this hormone.
1992 Times Lit. Suppl. 28 Feb. 3/4 The perfection of the security on the loan can be deferred until after the purchase has been completed.
6. to (or †unto) perfection: completely, perfectly.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase] > completely or perfectly
to (or unto) perfectiona1425
to the letter?1495
to point1590
to the (also a) nail?1611
to a shaving1804
jam up1835
to the moment1845
to a (fine) point1861
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Job xi. 7 Thou schalt fynde Almyȝti God til to perfeccioun [a1382 E.V. vnto perfit].
1611 Bible (King James) Job xi. 7 Canst thou finde out the Almightie vnto perfection ? View more context for this quotation
1705 tr. A. Dacier in tr. Aristotle Art of Poetry ii. 18 He says that Polygnotus always painted Noble Subjects, and that he hit the features to Perfection.
1751 R. Paltock Life Peter Wilkins II. v. 44 They were pleased with it [sc. the fire] to perfection.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xvii. 169 Olivia..acted the coquet to perfection.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 474 Sunderland acted calumniated virtue to perfection.
1898 I. L. Bird Korea & her Neighbours I. xviii. 250 Nagasaki..lighted, cleaned, and policed to perfection.
1908 E. J. Banfield Confessions of Beachcomber i. iv. 150 To enjoy it to perfection.
2003 Herald Sun (Melbourne) (Nexis) 7 June w30 The pasta was cooked to perfection.
7. Great or complete proficiency in an activity, art, or skill.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > [noun] > expertise or proficiency
craftOE
perfectionc1475
accomplement?c1525
proficiency1597
handiness1601
profection1605
expertnessa1616
provection1652
prowessa1668
proficience1713
adeptness1731
hability1840
expertise1868
expertship1880
expertism1886
wizardry1951
c1475 tr. Secreta Secret. (Tripolitanus abbrev.) (1977) 330 I pray the..that thou..do no thinge..withoute the counseill of som notable clerke that hath the perfeccioun of the science of astronomye.
a1530 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Royal) i. Prol. 114 Reqwyrande the correctioune Off grettare of perfectyoune.
a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) ii. f. 32 Whan..tyme shall breed skill, and vse shall bring perfection.
1655 W. Sales Theophania 192 None..arived at a higher degree of perfection in all martial exercises than Perrotus.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1677 (1955) IV. 118 Having both the Latine, French & Spanish tongues in perfection.
1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 37 Fence, Dance, and Ride in some tolerable Perfection.
1727 P. Frowde Fall of Saguntum ii. 26 Am I rejected for a puling Girl?.. Whose wondrous Talent, whose Perfection is To weave some pretty story in the Loom.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits v. 94 Every man is trained to some one art or detail, and aims at perfection in that.
1879 G. C. Harlan Eyesight v. 54 Such perfection has been reached in the manufacture of artificial eyes, that [etc.].
1912 Catholic Encycl. XIV. 670/1 He reached that stage of perfection in the art of writing where the art disappears.
1995 J. Miller & M. Stacey Driving Instructor's Handbk. (ed. 8) vii. 200 Perfection in these skills alone will not compensate for lack of knowledge or defective attitude.
8. As a count noun: a quality, trait, accomplishment, etc., of great excellence; a surpassing merit or virtue.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > [noun] > acquired skill > an accomplishment > of a high order
perfectiona1513
a1513 J. Irland Meroure of Wyssdome (1926) I. 163 All thire perfecciounis are includit in this haly name Jhesus.
1572 H. Middlemore in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. III. 8 Suerly Monsieur is a goodly gentilman, and hathe many perfections in him.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies vi. xvi. 466 The Indians of Peru had one perfection, which was, to teach their young children all artes and occupations necessary for the life of man.
1668 J. Dryden Sr Martin Mar-all iii. 27 I am not Master of any of those perfections; for in fine, Sir, I am wholly ignorant of Painting, Musick, and Poetry.
1718 Free-thinker No. 75. Prudence is a real Perfection, which Challenges the nicest Observation.
1741 D. Hume Ess. II. §xi What we imagine a superior perfection, may really be a defect. Or were it ever so much a perfection, the ascribing it [etc.].
1784 J. Potter Virtuous Villagers II. 111 I constantly discover new graces, new perfections, and new merits, unobserved before.
1813 W. Taylor Eng. Synonyms 64 It is esteemed a perfection in English writing to construct an antithesis with words of a collocal origin.
1881 A. Trollope Dr. Wortle's School II. xii. 244 They..did nothing but talk about Carstairs and all his perfections.
1920 D. H. Lawrence Women in Love xxx. 504 They took a sentimental, childish delight in the achieved perfections of the past.
2003 Mail on Sunday (Nexis) 11 Aug. 81 I can sniff out in a trice their flaws and perfections.
9. Music. With reference to a note or interval: the fact or condition of being perfect (perfect adj. 10). Now historical. prick (also dot, point) of perfection n. [after post-classical Latin punctus perfectionis (14th cent.)] (in musical notation) a dot or small circle placed after a note to indicate perfection.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > musical sound > pitch > interval > [noun] > perfect interval > perfection of interval
perfectionc1570
society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > notation > [noun] > character in notation > note > dot added to note
point (also note, prick) of addition1597
prick (also dot, point) of perfection1658
c1570 Art of Music (BL Add. 4911) f. 20v, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Perfect-, Perfeccio(u)n(e Ane pwnt..of perfection..makkis the long perfyt in muid the breif perfyt in tym [etc.].
1614 T. Ravenscroft (title) A briefe discovrse of the true (but neglected) vse of charact'ring the degrees by their perfection, imperfection, and diminution in measurable musicke.
1658 J. Playford Breif Introd. Skill Musick (new ed.) 23 Pricks of Perfection are used for Perfecting of Notes as is onely used in the Triple Time.
1778 W. Billings Singing Master's Assistant 6 A prick of perfection is not well named in my opinion, because a note may be perfect without it: a point of addition is the best name.
1786 T. Busby Compl. Dict. Music Modification, a term applied to that temperament of the sounds of instruments whose tones are fixed, which gives a greater degree of perfection to one key than another.
1880 W. S. Rockstro in G. Grove Dict. Music I. 767 Ways in which the Perfection of certain notes may be changed to Imperfection, and vice versa.
1935 T. M. Finney Hist. of Music xii. 155 The ‘prick of perfection’ or dot, was understood as being in reality a very small circle, the old sign of perfection in time and prolation.
1986 D. M. Randel New Harvard Dict. Music 487/1 It was sometimes called a dot of perfection (punctum perfectionis). When it occurs between two breves that occur between two longs, it..forces the preceding breve to imperfect the preceding long, thus causing the long and the breve together to form a perfection.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2005; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
perfectionv.
/pəˈfɛkʃn/, U.S. /pərˈfɛkʃ(ə)n/ rare.
transitive. To bring to perfection, to perfect.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > perfection > [verb (transitive)]
perfectc1440
perfectionate1570
consummate1581
perfection1651
perfectionize1805
1651 tr. F. de Quintana Hist. Don Fenise 305 We lived there in great repose, imploying the time..in perfectioning our loves.
1690 tr. Moral Ess. Soul Man (new ed.) ii. xviii. 268 Abstracted and speculative Sciences are perfectioned more and more.
1799 in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1800) 3 243 All persons are interested in perfectioning these new bases of the conjugal connexion.
1821 J. Galt Ayrshire Legatees vi. 160 He only receives pupils for perfectioning, except they belong to families of distinction.
1921 W. J. Turner Mus. & Life 60 Only then did men consider perfectioning tonal delights.
1999 Afr. News Newswire (Nexis) 29 June The ministers were perfectioning the ceasefire document for endorsement.
Derivatives
perˈfectioned adj. perfect, that has been made perfect.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > perfection > [adjective] > brought to perfection
perfectionated1795
perfectioned1841
perfected1848
1841 I. D'Israeli Amenities Lit. III. 324 This perfectioned model of a government.
1958 Monumenta Nipponica 14 339 This witness happens to be also the most perfectioned rōei singer of his time.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.?c1225
v.1651