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Meaning of per se

Source language: EnglishDictionary language: English

per se

Pronunciation:/pəːˈseɪ//pɚːˈseɪ/

adjective

Definitions

  1. Positing itself and being a principle of its own determination.

adverb

Definitions

  1. In and of itself; by itself; without determination by or involvement of extraneous factors.

    Example: Some people say that a hangover is caused by impurities in the drink, not by the alcohol per se.

  2. (chiefly in negative polarity environments) In a true or literal sense; as one would expect from the name or description.

    Example: It's not a museum per se, but they do have some interesting artefacts.

  3. Being a thing that posits itself and is a principle of its own determination.

  4. Not leaving discretion to the judge to take into account additional factors that could rebut the judgment, deriving the qualification from the statute.

    Example: The law makes drunk driving illegal per se