per
English meaning: Per
Definition
For each.
Example
“$2.50 per dozen”
Another example: “The tickets cost twenty dollars per person.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A preposition meaning 'for each' or 'by means of', used in rates and ratios (miles per hour, cost per unit) and in Latin set phrases (per capita, per annum). Slightly formal; 'as per' meaning 'in accordance with' is common in business writing though sometimes criticised.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
Directly from Latin 'per' meaning 'through, by means of, for each'; used in English from the late Middle Ages, chiefly in commercial and Latin phrases.
Synonyms
- for each
- apiece
- by
- for every
Related Words
Common Collocations
- per cent
- per capita
- per annum
- per hour
- per person
- as per
Word Forms
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Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B