Per se
WordNet
adverb
(1) With respect to its inherent nature
"This statement is interesting per se"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From , from , and .
Adverb
- By itself; without consideration of extraneous factors.
- The law makes drunk driving illegal per se.
- necessarily, precisely, absolutely
- Well, that's not correct per se, but the situation is something like that.
Usage notes
- Because this is originally a Latin phrase, it is usually italicized when written.
Etymology
From , from , and .
Adverb
- necessarily, absolutely, without fail
- per se
Usage notes
The ‘necessity meaning’ is the usual one, the original Latin meaning as in English is rarely used and can be misunderstood.
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Adverb
- per se
- by itself
- through itself