Pronunciation: /pɜr/

Definitions of per

noun short for 'person'

Example Sentences

A1 I need one pencil per student in the class.

A2 The price is $10 per person for the tour.

B1 The company pays its employees per hour.

B2 The hotel charges $200 per night for a room.

C1 The restaurant offers a special menu for $50 per person.

C2 The artist's paintings sell for thousands of dollars per piece.

preposition used to express a rate or ratio

Example Sentences

A1 I go to school per day.

A2 She earns $10 per hour.

B1 The company pays its employees per project completed.

B2 The hotel charges per night for a room.

C1 The artist is paid per painting sold.

C2 The consultant charges per consultation session.

Examples of per in a Sentence

formal The cost per unit is calculated by dividing the total cost by the number of units produced.

informal I usually charge $10 per hour for my tutoring services.

slang I can't believe they're charging $50 per ticket for that concert.

figurative She was running at full speed, covering 100 meters per minute.

Grammatical Forms of per

past tense

performed

plural

pers

comparative

more

superlative

most

present tense

performs

future tense

will perform

perfect tense

has performed

continuous tense

is performing

singular

per

positive degree

perfect

infinitive

to perform

gerund

performing

participle

performed

Origin and Evolution of per

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'per' originated from Latin, specifically from the preposition 'per' meaning 'through, by means of'.
Evolution of the word: Over time, 'per' has retained its original meaning of 'through, by means of', but has also evolved to be used in various contexts such as denoting a rate or ratio, indicating division, or expressing each in relation to a total.