parfait (n.)

kind of rich frozen dessert, 1894, French, literally "perfect" (see perfect (adj.)).

also from 1894

Entries linking to parfait

early 15c. classical correction of Middle English parfit "flawless, ideal" (c. 1300), also "complete, full, finished, lacking in no way" (late 14c.), from Old French parfit "finished, completed, ready" (11c.), from Latin perfectus "completed, excellent, accomplished, exquisite," past participle of perficere "accomplish, finish, complete," from per "completely" (see per) + combining form of facere "to make, to do" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").

Often used in English as an intensive (perfect stranger, etc.), from the notion of "complete." Grammatical sense, in reference to verb tense describing an action as completed, is from c. 1500. As a noun, late 14c. ("perfection"), from the adjective.

The difference between the Preterit and the Perfect is in English observed more strictly than in the other languages possessing corresponding tenses. The Preterit refers to some time in the past without telling anything about the connexion with the present moment, while the Perfect is a retrospective present, which connects a past occurrence with the present time, either as continued up to the present moment (inclusive time) or as having results or consequences bearing on the present moment. [Otto Jespersen, "Essentials of English Grammar," 1933]

Trends of parfait

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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disciple

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consumption

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arbiter

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gender

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restore

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squander

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Prometheus

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posthumous

mid-15c., posthumus, "born after the death of the originator" (author or father), from Late Latin posthumus, from Latin postumus "last," especially "last-born," superlative of posterus "coming after, subsequent" (see posterior). Altered in Late Latin by association with Latin hum

brunette

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updated on January 16, 2020

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Dictionary entries near parfait

parenting

parentless

parer

paresis

Pareto

parfait

parhelion

pari passu

pariah

Parian

parietal