perforator 
(c) A power-machine for drilling rocks in tunneling; a 
perforating-machine. 
perforatus (per-fo-ra'tus), n. ; pi. pcrforuti 
(-ti). [NL., < L.' perforatus, perforate : see 
perforate, .] The short flexor of the toes, or 
the superficial flexor of the fingers: so named 
because their tendons are perforated by the 
tendons of the perforans muscles. Perforatus 
Casserii muscle, the coracobrachialis. 
perforce (per-fors'), adv. [< ME. parforce, < 
OF. (and P.) par force = Sp. por fuerza = Pg. 
porforca = It. perforza, by force, < L. per, by, 
+ ML. fortia, force : see force 1 -."] By force or 
violence ; of necessity. 
If Sir Gaultier Paschac Wynne hym parforce, thir is no 
man can snue hym fro the dethe, for he hath sworne as 
many as he wynneth parforce shall all dye or be hanged. 
Berners, tr. of Froissart's Chron., II. xxxviii. 
Seeing perforce ye must do this, will ye not willingly 
now do it for God's sake ? 
J. Bradford, Letters (Parker Soc., 1853), I. 64. 
This . . . confounded villain will make me dance per- 
force. Goldsmith, Grumbler. 
perforcet (per-fors'), v. t. [< perforce, adv., 
after force 1 , v.~] To force ; constrain ; compel. 
ily furious force their force perforc'd to yield. 
Mir. for Mags., p. 416. (ffares.) 
perform (per-form'), v. [< Ni.performen,per- 
fourmen, parformen, parfourmen, usually par- 
f ournen, <OF. parfournir, parfornir, parfurttir, 
perfournir, AF. parformer, purfourmer, perfor- 
mer, orig. *parfourmir, complete, accomplish, 
perform, < par, < L. per, through, + fournir, 
"fourmir, provide, furnish: see furnish 1 . The we 
is orig. (see etym. of furnish 1 ), but the E. per- 
form is partly due to association with the un- 
related verb form; cf. LL. performare, form 
thoroughly, > It. performare, "to performe or 
fashion out" (Florio).] I. trans. 1. To effect; 
execute; accomplish; achieve; carry on or out ; 
do: as, to perform an act of kindness or a deed 
of daring; to perform a day's labor ; to perform 
an operation in surgery or in arithmetic. 
But whan he saughe thet he inyghte not don it, ne 
bryng it to an ende, he preyed to God of Nature that he 
wolde parforme that that he had begonne. 
Mandemlle, Travels, p. 285. 
Ogrete God, that parfournest thy laude 
By mouth of inuocentz, lo, heer, thy myght. 
Chaucer, Prioress's Tale, 1. 155. 
Did I for this 
Perform so noble and so brave defeat 
On Sacrovir? B. Jonson, Sejanus, iii. 1. 
The rope-dancing is performed by a woman holding a 
balancing pole. Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, p. 288. 
We have in vain tried to perform what ought to be to a 
critic an easy and habitual act. 
Macaulay, Sir James Mackintosh. 
2. To carry out or do whatever is demanded 
or required by (duty, a vow, etc.); execute the 
provisions, commands, or requirements of ; put 
in execution; discharge; fulfil: as, to perform 
one's duty; to perform a vow; to perform a 
covenant. 
The quen & here consail ther-of were a-paiged, 
That he so him profered to parfourme hire wille. 
William, of Paler'ne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 4008. 
When I make to any man a promise, I keep it and per- 
form it truly. Latimer, Misc. Sel. 
I thy best will all perform at full. 
Tennyson, Morte d'Arthur. 
3. To render; do. 
Sol, the only one of the Titans who favoured Jupiter, 
performed him singular service. 
Bacon, Physical Fables, i. 
4. To act or represent on or as on the stage : 
as, to perform the part of Hamlet. 
Bravely the figure of this harpy hast thou 
Perform'd, my Ariel. Shak., Tempest, iii. 3. 84. 
In November [1753] . . . Foote himself performed the 
character of Buck at Drury-lane theatre. 
W. Cooke, Life of S. Foote, I. 35. 
5f. To make up ; constitute ; complete. 
Yif thow abate the quantite of the hour ineqnal by daye, 
out of thirty, than shal the remenant that leveth performe 
the hour inequal by nyght. Chaucer, Astrolabe, ii. 10. 
The confessour heere for his worthynesse 
Shal parfonrne up the nombre of his covent. 
Chaucer, Summoner's Tale, 1. 561. 
6f. To afford; furnish. 
Certes ther nis non other thyng that may so wel per- 
forme blysfulnesse as an estat plentyvos of alle goodes. 
Chaucer, Boethius, iii. prose 2. 
7. To sing, or render on a musical instrument. 
= Syn. 1. Perform, Accomplish, Effect, Execute, Achieve. 
These words agree in representing the complete doing of 
something which is of considerable importance and is set 
before one's self as a thing to be done. Generally they 
represent the doing of something in which one is person- 
ally interested. Effect most views the outcome as a result ; 
execute most suggests briskness or energy in action ; achieve 
most suggests difficulties triumphed over, with a corre- 
sponding excellence in the result. Perform may mean no 
4394 
more than a doing which continues till the work is com- 
pleted. 
II. in trans. 1. To act; do or execiite some- 
thing. 
Paul found it present with him to will, but could not 
find how to perform. 
H. BushneH, Nature and the Supernat., p. 53. 
2. To act a part ; go through or complete any 
work ; especially, to sing or play on a musical 
instrument, represent a character on the stage, 
etc. 
Mohhabbazee'n (or low farce players) often perform on 
this occasion before the house. 
E. W. Lane, Modern Egyptians, I. 208. 
He had an exquisite ear, and performed skilfully on the 
flute. Macaulay, Frederic the Great. 
performable (per-for'ma-bl), a. [< perform + 
-able."] Capable of being performed, done, exe- 
cuted, or fulfilled ; practicable. 
Men herein do strangely forget the obvious relations of 
history, affirming they [elephants] have no joints, whereas 
they daily read of several actions which are not perform- 
able without them. Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., 111. 1. 
performance (per-for'mans), n. [(perform + 
-ance."] 1. The act of performing or the con- 
dition of being performed ; execution or com- 
pletion of anything; a doing: as, the perform- 
ance of works or of an undertaking; the per- 
formance of duty. 
Useless are all words, 
Till you have writ performance with your swords. 
Fletcher (and another), Love's Cure, i. 1. 
An Acre of Performance is worth the whole Land of 
Promise. Howett, Letters, iv. 38. 
Promises are not binding where the performance is un- 
lawful. Paley, Moral Philos., III. i. 5. 
2. That which is performed or accomplished; 
action; deed; thing done; a piece of work. 
Her walking and other actual performances. 
Shak., Macbeth, v. 1. 13. 
It is the work of Menu. Poitrieh, who adorned a chapel 
in the same manner at Falcouse, two leagues from Bonne, 
which is said to be a most beautiful performance. 
Pococke, Description of the East, II. ii. 222. 
3. A musical, dramatic, orother entertainment; 
the acting of a play, execution of vocal or in- 
strumental music, exhibition of skill, etc., es- 
pecially at a place of amusement Specific per- 
formance, in law, actual performance, or an action to 
compel actual performance, as distinguished from the 
payment of damages as a compensation for non-perform- 
ance. = 8yn. 1. Accomplishment, achievement, consum- 
mation. See perform. 2. Exploit, feat. 3. Production. 
performancyt, [As performance (see -cy).~] 
Performance. Davies. 
performationt, < [< perform + -ation.] Per- 
formance; doing; carrying out. 
This Indenture made ... for the performation of ye 
things vnderwritten. Hakluyt's Voyages, I. 164. 
performer (per-for'mer), . 1. One who per- 
forms, accomplishes, or fulfils. 
Even share hath he that keeps his tent, and he to field doth 
go: ... 
The much performer, and the man that can of nothing 
vaunt. Chapman, Iliad, ix. 
2. One who performs or takes part in a play or 
performance of any kind ; an actor, actress, mu- 
sician, circus-rider, etc. 
Mr. Johnson, a performer of sound judgment, who suc- 
ceeded in many walks in comedy. 
Life of Quin (reprint, 1887), p. 16. 
Whilst in past times the performer treated his instru- 
.ment [piano] as a respected and beloved friend, and almost 
caressed it, many of our present performers appear to treat 
it as an enemy, who has to be fought with, and at last 
conquered. Orove, Diet. Music, II. 744. 
performing (per-for'ming), p. a. 1. Doing; 
executing; accomplishing. 2. Trained to per- 
form tricks or play a part : as, performing dogs. 
perfricate (per'fri-kat), v. t. ; pret. and pp. per- 
fricated, ppr. perfricating. [< L. perfricatus, 
pp. ofperfricare (> It. perfricare), rub all over, 
< per, through, + fricare, rub: see friction."} 
To rub over or thoroughly. Bailey. 
perfrication (per-fri-ka'shon), n. [< perfricate 
+ -ion."] A thorough rubbing, especially the 
rubbing in of some unctuous substance through 
the pores of the skin; inunction. 
perfumatory (per-fu'ma-to-ri), a. [< perfume 
+ -atory.] Yielding perfume ; perfuming. 
A perfumatory or incense altar. 
Leigh, Critica Sacra (1650), i. 214. (Latham.) 
perfume (per-fum' or per'furn), r. t. ; pret. and 
pp. perfumed, ppr. perfuming. [< OF. perfumer, 
F.parfumer = Sp. Pg. perfumar = It. profumare 
(for "perfumare), < L. per, through, + fumare, 
smoke: s&efume, v.~\ To scent; render odor- 
ous or fragrant: as, to perfume an apartment; 
to perfume a garment. 
There weeps the Balm, and famous Trees from whence 
Th' Arabians f etcht perfuming Frankinsence. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, i. 3. 
perfuncturate 
Away, away, thy sweets are too perfuming. 
Quarles, Emblems, v. 15. 
There the priest perfumed me o'er with clouds of fragrant 
incense. 
Constantine and Arete (Child's Ballads, I. 309). 
The furze-scent perfumes all the air. 
M. Arnold, Stanzas composed at Carnac. 
perfume (per'fum or per-fum'), n. [< F. par- 
j'niii = Sp. Pg. perfume = It. profumo, perfume ; 
from the verb.] 1. A substance that emits a 
scent or odor which affects the organs of smell 
agreeably. Six flowers form the base of most flower- 
perfumes in use : orange-flower, rose, jasmine, violet, aca- 
cia, and tuberose. Vauilla dashed with almonds is used 
to simulate heliotrope. Besides these are used the ge- 
ranium, lavender, rosemary, thyme, and other aromatic 
herbs, peel of bitter oranges, citrons, bergamots, musk, 
sandalwood, ambergris, and gum benjamin, the leaves of 
the patchouli, wintergreen, and others. Many perfumes 
are now prepared by chemical methods, instead of by 
distillation, maceration, tincturation, or enfleurage, from 
vegetable products. 
She toke for perfume the ryndes of olde rosemary and 
burned them. Sir T. Elyot, Castle of Health, iv. 2. 
2. The scent, odor, or volatile particles emitted 
from odorous substances, especially those that 
are sweet-smelling. 
An amber scent of odorous perfume 
Her harbinger. MUton, S. A., 1. 720. 
Ev'n the rough rocks with tender myrtle bloom, 
And trodden weeds send out a rich perfume. 
Addison, Letter from Italy. 
=Syn. 2. Fragrance, Aroma, etc. (see smell, n.), balmi- 
ness, redolence, incense. 
perfume-burner (per'fum-ber"ner), n. A ves- 
sel in which odorous substances, as pastils, are 
burned. 
perfume-fountain (per'fum-foun"tan), n. A 
portable apparatus for throwing a small jet of 
perfume ; especially, an ingenious machine in- 
troduced about 1872, in which by the mere pres- 
sure of the liquid in a receiver or ball the foun- 
tain is created, the liquid running through a 
tube into a lower ball which when full takes 
the place of the first. 
perfumer (per-fu'mer), n. [< F. parfumeur = 
Sp. Pg. perfumador = It. profumatore; as per- 
fume + -erl.] 1. One who or that which per- 
fumes. 2. One whose trade is the making or 
selling of perfumes. 
Barber no more a gay perfumer comes, 
On whose soft cheek his own cosmetic blooms. 
Crabbe. 
perfumery (per-fu'mer-i), n. [< F. parfumerie, 
perfumery, = Sp. perfumeria = Pg. perfumaria 
= It. profumeria, a place where perfumes are 
made or sold; as perfume + -ery.~] 1. Per- 
fumes in general. 2. The art of preparing 
perfumes. 
perfume-set (per'fum-set), n. A set of articles 
for the toilet-table, such as perfume-bottles 
and puff-boxes, sometimes including such ob- 
jects as an atomizer or a spray-tube. 
perfumy (per'fu-mi or per-fu'mi), a. [< per- 
fume -f -y 1 ."] Having a perfume ; odorous ; 
sweet-scented. 
The sweet atmosphere was tinged with the perfumy 
breath which always surrounded Her. 
Mrs. Oliphant, Salem Chapel, xiii. (Davies.) 
perfunctorily (per-fungk'to-ri-li), adv. In a 
perfunctory, careless, or half-hearted manner ; 
without zeal or interest ; in a manner to satisfy 
external form merely, or so as to conform to the 
letter but not to the spirit ; with careless indif- 
ference ; negligently. 
perfunctoriness (per-fungk'to-ri-nes), . The 
character of being perfunctory; negligent or 
half-hearted performance ; carelessness. 
perfunctory (per-fungk'to-ri), a. [= Sp. Pg. 
perfunctorio = It. perfuntorio, < LL. perfuncto- 
rhm, < L. perfungi, pp. perfunctus, perform, < 
per, through, + fungi, do : see function."] Done 
mechanically or without interest or zeal, and 
merely for the sake of getting rid of the duty ; 
done in a half-hearted or careless manner, or 
so as to conform to the letter but not to the 
spirit; careless; negligent. 
What an unbecoming thing it is to worship God in a 
careless, trifling, perfunctory Manner ; as though nothing 
less deserved the imploying the Vigour of our Minds about 
than the Service of God. StUlingJleet, Sermons, III. iii. 
Alike I hate to be your debtor, 
Or write a mere perfunctory letter. 
Lowell, Familiar Epistle. 
perfuncturate (per-fuugk'tu-rat), v. t.; pret. 
and pp. perfuiicturated, ppr. perfuncttiratiiiy. 
[Irreg. < L. perfunctnrus (fut. part, of perfungi, 
perform: see pcrf inn-tori/) + -ate 1 ."] To execute 
perfunctorily, or in an indifferent, mechanical 
manner. North Brit. llev. (Imp. IHct.) 
