Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: 'by itself'

per se

 adverb
     
per se formal
XX used to say that something is being considered alone, not with other connected things:
The color of the shell per se does not affect the quality of the egg.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary