perpetrate
Pronunciation: /ˈpəːpɪtreɪt/
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Definition of perpetrate
verb
Derivatives
- noun
Pronunciation: /-ˈtreɪʃ(ə)n/
noun
Origin:
mid 16th century: from Latin perpetrat- 'performed', from the verb perpetrare, from per- 'to completion' + patrare 'bring about'. In Latin the act perpetrated might be good or bad; in English the verb was first used in the statutes referring to crime, hence the negative association
The words perpetrate and perpetuate are sometimes confused. Perpetrate means ‘commit a harmful, illegal, or immoral action’, as in a crime has been perpetrated against a sovereign state, whereas perpetuate means ‘make something continue indefinitely’, as in a monument to perpetuate the memory of those killed in the war.