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persevere
allow it) 4 [T no pass.] also permit of fml— to allow as possible; admit: The facts permit (of) no other explanation.
per·mit² /'p3:mɪt||'pɜːrmɪt, pər'mɪt/ n an official written statement giving one the right to do something: You can't work here without a (work) permit. | a travel permit | an import/export permit
per·mu·ta·tion /ˌpɜːmju'teɪʃən||ˌpɜːr-/ n any of the ways in which a number of things can be arranged in order: The six possible permutations of two letters chosen from ABC are AB, BA, CB, BC, AC, and CA. | to try various permutations → compare COMBINATION
per·mute /pə'mju:t||pər-/ v [T] tech to rearrange in a different order
per·ni·cious /pə'nɪʃəs||pər-/ adj fml very harmful, often in a way that is not easily noticeable; having or being an evil influence: the pernicious effect of these horror videos on young children | a pernicious lie —ly adv —ness n [U]
per·ni·cious a'naemia n [U] med ANAEMIA that will kill the sick person if it is not treated
per·nick·e·ty /pə'nɪkɪti||pər-/ BrE || persnickety AmE — adj infml, often derog 1 worrying (too much) about small or unimportant things; FUSSY 2 detailed and needing a lot of attention; FIDDLY: a pernickety job
Per·nod /'pɜ:nəʊ, 'peə-||peər'nəʊ, pər-/ trademark a type of strong alcoholic drink from France, tasting of ANISEED. Pernod is a clear liquid, but it becomes cloudy when it is mixed with water.
Pe·rón, E·va /pe'rɒn, pə-'l-'rəʊn, 'evə/ (1919–52) an Argentinian actress who married Juan PERÓN in 1945. When he became president of Argentina in 1946, she became active in social and educational work in the country, and this made her extremely popular. Her life story is known especially through the musical show and film Evita.
Perón, Juan Do·min·go /wɑ:n dɒ'mɪŋgəʊ||hwɑ:n-/ (1895–1974) an army officer who became president of Argentina in 1946. He and his wife Eva PERÓN were very popular but after she died he lost a lot of his popularity and had to leave the country in 1955. He returned and became president again in 1973.
per·o·ra·tion /ˌperə'reɪʃən/ n 1 tech the last part of a speech, especially the part in which the main points are repeated in a shorter form 2 fml derog a grand, long, but meaningless speech
Pe·rot, Ross /pə'rəʊ/ (1930–) a rich US businessman who entered the election for President of the US in 1992 and 1996 although he was not connected with either of the two main political parties. Although many people did not think of him as a serious politician, he was considered by many to be more honest than other politicians.
per·ox·ide /pə'rɒksaɪd||-'rɑ:k-/ also hydrogen peroxide tech — n [U] a chemical liquid used to take the colour out of dark hair and to kill bacteria
per·oxide 'blonde n usually derog a woman who has made her naturally dark hair very light yellow, by using peroxide → compare PLATINUM BLONDE
per·pen·dic·u·lar¹ /ˌpɜːpən'dɪkjʊlə||ˌpɜːr-/ adj tech 1 exactly upright; not leaning to one side or the other; VERTICAL: a perpendicular line | (humor) He'd drunk so much he found it hard to remain perpendicular. 2 [+to] (of a line or surface) at an angle of 90 degrees to another line or surface 3 (often cap.) of the style of 14th and 15th century English buildings, especially churches, in which there was decoration by the use of straight upright lines —ly adv
perpendicular² n [C;(the) U] tech a perpendicular line or position
per·pe·trate /'pɜːpɪtreɪt||'pɜːr-/ v [T] fml to do (something wrong or criminal); be guilty of: to perpetrate a crime/a fraud | (fig., humor) It was the managing director who perpetrated that frightful statue in the reception area. —trator n —tration /ˌpɜːpɪ'treɪʃən||ˌpɜːr-/ n [U]
per·pet·u·al /pə'petʃuəl||pər-/ adj 1 often derog a) continuing endlessly; uninterrupted: the perpetual noise of the machines b) repeating or being repeated many times: I'm tired of your perpetual complaints. 2 lasting for ever or for a long time: the perpetual snows of the mountaintops —ly adv
per·pet·ual 'motion n [U] the ability of a machine to
always continue moving without getting energy from anywhere else, which is not considered possible
per·petual 'motion ma·chine n an imaginary machine that could operate on its own power without the use of outside force or FUEL. Natural laws make such a machine impossible.
per·pet·u·ate /pə'petʃueɪt||pər-/ v [T] fml to make (something) continue to exist for a long time; preserve: They put up a statue to perpetuate her memory. (=so that she would be remembered) | an education system that perpetuates the divisions of our society —ation /pəˌpetʃu'eɪʃən||pər-/ n [U]
per·pe·tu·i·ty /pɜːpə'tjuːɪti||ˌpɜːrpə'tuː-/ n in perpetuity fml for ever
per·plex /pə'pleks||pər-/ v [T] fml to make (someone) feel confused and worried by being difficult to understand or answer: a perplexing problem | He was perplexed by her contradictory behaviour. —edly /'pleksɪdli, 'plekstli/ adv
per·plex·i·ty /pə'pleksɪti||pər-/ n [U] fml the state of being perplexed
per·qui·site /'pɜːkwɪzɪt||'pɜːr-/ n fml for PERK
Per·ri·er /'perieɪ/ trademark a type of MINERAL WATER from Vergèze in the south of France, which is naturally CARBONATED (=the BUBBLES in it are natural, not added), and its name is sometimes used to mean any kind of carbonated mineral water: Could I have two beers and a Perrier, please?
Per·rin, Re·gin·ald /'perɪn, 'redʒɪnəld/ 1 a character played by the actor Leonard Rossiter in the humorous British television programme The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. He was a businessman who made people think that he had died in the sea, because he was bored with his life and wanted to start a new life as a different person. 2 do a Reggie Perrin BrE infml to pretend to disappear or die so that you can start a different life
per·ry /'peri/ n [U] especially BrE an alcoholic drink made from PEARS
Perry, Fred /fred/ (1909–95) a British tennis player who won the men's SINGLES competition at WIMBLEDON three times (1934–36). He later started a successful company making sports clothes. → see also FRED PERRY
Perry, Matthew (1969–) a US actor known especially for appearing as the character Chandler Bing in the television programme Friends
Perry, William (1962–) a US football player, known for being very large and tall. He is called 'The Refrigerator' because it is said that he can drink as many cans of beer as a REFRIGERATOR can hold.
per se /ˌpɜː 'seɪ||ˌpɜːr 'siː, -'seɪ, ˌper 'seɪ/ adv Lat considered alone and not in connection with other things; in, of, or by itself; as such: It's a very beautiful piece of furniture per se, but it doesn't go with (=look good with) the rest of the room.
per·se·cute /'pɜːsɪkjut||'pɜr-/ v [T] 1 to treat cruelly and cause to suffer, especially for religious or political beliefs: The Romans persecuted the Christians. 2 to try to harm (someone) by continually annoying them or causing trouble for them; HARASS: People who think they're always being persecuted may be suffering from a mental illness. —cutor n —cution /ˌpɜːsɪ'kjuːʃən||ˌpɜːr-/ n [C;U] the persecution of the Jews | a persecution complex (=feeling that people are always persecuting you)
Per·seph·o·ne /pɜː'sefəni||pər-/ in Greek MYTHOLOGY, the daughter of ZEUS who was taken to the UNDERWORLD (=the place under the ground where the spirits of dead people live) by PLUTO, the god of the Underworld, and made queen there. Zeus allowed her to return, but only for six months each year, from the beginning of Spring to the end of Summer. As a result, she represents death and rebirth, and the change from Winter into Spring. In Roman mythology her name is Proserpina, and in English she is sometimes called Proserpine.
Per·se·us /'pɜːsiəs||'pɜːr-/ in ancient Greek stories, a HERO who killed MEDUSA
per·se·ver·ance /ˌpɜːsɪ'vɪərəns||ˌpɜːr-/ n [U] usually apprec continual steady effort made to fulfil some aim: He's slow to learn, but shows great perseverance.
per·se·vere /ˌpɜːsɪ'və||ˌpɜːr-/ v [(at, in, with)] usually apprec to