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Definition of perpetrator - 5 dictionary results

per⋅pe⋅trate

  [pur-pi-treyt]
Use perpetrator in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), -trat⋅ed, -trat⋅ing.
1. to commit: to perpetrate a crime.
2. to present, execute, or do in a poor or tasteless manner: Who perpetrated this so-called comedy?
Origin:
1540–50; < L perpetrātus (ptp. of perpetrāre to carry out, execute, perform), equiv. to per- per- + -petr- (comb. form of patrāre to father, bring about; see pater ) + -ā- theme vowel + -tus ptp. suffix; see -ate 1

Related forms:
per⋅pe⋅tra⋅ble  [pur-pi-truh-buhl] , adjective
per⋅pe⋅tra⋅tion, noun
per⋅pe⋅tra⋅tor, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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per·pe·trate   (pûr'pĭ-trāt')   
tr.v.   per·pe·trat·ed, per·pe·trat·ing, per·pe·trates
To be responsible for; commit: perpetrate a crime; perpetrate a practical joke.

[Latin perpetrāre, perpetrāt-, to accomplish : per-, per- + patrāre, to bring about (from pater, father; see pəter- in Indo-European roots).]
per'pe·tra'tion n., per'pe·tra'tor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
perpetrate [ˈpɚpətret]

  1. in.
    to pose; to pretend. : Look at her clothes. Have you ever seen anyone perpetrate like that?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

perpetrate 
c.1450 (implied in perpetration), from L. perpetratus, pp. of perpetrare "to perform, to accomplish," from per- "completely" + patrare "carry out," originally "bring into existence," from pater "father" (see father). Neither good nor bad in L., first used in Eng. in statutes, hence its sense of "to perform criminally." Perpetrator is 1570, from L.L. perpetrator, from L. perpetrare. Police slang shortening perp (e.g. perp walk) is Amer.Eng., by 1940s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: per·pe·trate
Pronunciation: 'p&r-p&-"trAt
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -trat·ed; -trat·ing
: to carry out or bring about (as a crime) —per·pe·tra·tion /"p&r-p&-'trA-sh&n/ noun —per·pe·tra·tor /'p&r-p&-"trA-t&r/ noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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