perforate (v.)

"bore through, pierce, make a hole or holes in," late 15c. (implied in perforated), a back-formation from perforation or else from Latin perforatus, past participle of perforare "to bore through, pierce through," from per "through" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + forare "to pierce" (from PIE root *bhorh- "hole"). Related: Perforating.

also from late 15c.

Entries linking to perforate

perforation (n.)

early 15c., perforacioun, "hole made through something;" mid-15c., "action of boring or piercing," from Medieval Latin perforationem (nominative perforatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Latin perforare "bore or pierce through," from per "through" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + forare "to pierce" (from PIE root *bhorh- "hole").

imperforate (adj.)

"having no perforation," 1670s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not, opposite of" + perforate (adj.). Related: Imperforation (1650s).

*bhorh-

*per-

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Trends of perforate

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

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punch

"to thrust, push; jostle;" also, "to prod, drive (cattle, etc.) by poking and prodding," late 14c., from Old French ponchonner "to punch, prick, stamp," from ponchon "pointed tool, piercing weapon" (see punch (n.1)). Meaning "to pierce, make a hole or holes in with a punch, embos

thrill

early 14c., "to pierce, penetrate," metathesis of Old English þyrlian "to perforate, pierce," from þyrel "hole" (in Middle...

monotreme

mono-) + stem of trēma "perforation, hole, opening; eye of a needle, dot on dice," related to tetrainein "to bore through, perforate...

pourpoint

.-15c., early 15c., from Old French porpoint, noun use of the past participle of porpoindre "to perforate," from *por-, a...

tunnel

early 15c., tonel, "funnel-shaped net for catching birds," from Old French tonnelle "net," or tonel "cask," diminutive of Old French tonne "tun, cask for liquids," possibly from the same source as Old English tunne (see tun). Sense of "tube, pipe" (1540s) developed in English and

imbue

early 15c., "to keep wet; to soak, saturate;" also figuratively "to cause to absorb" (feelings, opinions, etc.), from Latin imbuere "moisten, wet, soak, saturate," figuratively "to fill; to taint," a word of uncertain origin, perhaps from the same root as imbrication. Compare als

recipe

1580s, "medical prescription, a formula for the composing of a remedy written by a physician," from French récipé (15c.), from Latin recipe "take!" (this or that ingredient), second person imperative singular of recipere "to hold, contain" (see receive). It was the word written b

pierce

c. 1300 (c. 1200 as a surname), percen, "make a hole in; force one's way through; thrust through with or as with a sharp or pointed instrument," from Anglo-French perser, Old French percier "pierce, transfix, drive through" (12c., Modern French percer), probably from Vulgar Latin

grain

early 14c., "a small, hard seed," especially of one of the cereal plants, also as a collective singular, "seed of wheat and allied grasses used as food;" also "something resembling grain; a hard particle of other substances" (salt, sand, later gunpowder, etc.), from Old French gr

plunge

late 14c., plungen, "to put, throw, or thrust violently into; immerse, submerge," also intransitive, from Old French plongier "plunge, sink into; plunge into, dive in" (mid-12c., Modern French plonger), from Vulgar Latin *plumbicare "to heave the lead," from Latin plumbum "lead"

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updated on March 30, 2020

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Dictionary entries near perforate

perfective

perfectly

perfervid

perfidious

perfidy

perforate

perforation

perforce

perform

performance

performative