Note 208 – The Latin expression ‘per se’

According to Wikipedia, per se is a Latin phrase meaning ‘in itself’, although the individual Latin words can be defined as:

per = by or through
se = itself, himself, herself or themselves

The Merriam Webster dictionary explains that per se can be used as an adverb or an adjective as follows:

Definition of per se as an adverb (source: Merriam Webster)

• ‘by’, ‘of’, or ‘in’ itself (or oneself or themselves)
• as such
• intrinsically

Example: It was not the exact colour per se, but it was close enough (where per se means ‘as such’)

Definition of per se as an adjective (source: Merriam Webster)

• being such inherently, clearly, or as a matter of law <a per se conflict of interest> 

Some other facts about per se (source: Wiktionary)

• As per se is a Latin phrase, it is sometimes written in italics.
• It was known as persé until a spelling reform in 1995 made it obsolete.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s blog.

Until tomorrow…

Sandra
Freelance writer
www.sandramadeira.com
(For information on my services as a freelance writer as well as details of my book and other blogs).

This blog post forms part of My Writing Challenge.
Requests for future blogs (punctuation/grammar/writing tips) are always welcome

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