The basic meaning of per- is ‘through’. If you perambulate the grounds of a stately home, you walk around or through them. The root here is ambul, from which English gets amble and ambulance. A perambulator will help you when walking around with your baby.
Other ‘through’ words using per- include percolate, persist, pervade, and persevere.
There are also many words using per- with the sense of ‘badly’ often blend. If you perjure yourself, you ‘swear wrongly’. If someone’s influence is pernicious, it is thoroughly destructive and harmful. If you are perfidious – as Albion (England) is reputed to be by certain other nations – no one can trust you because of your bad faith. Sin leads to perdition or eternal damnation.
For Scientific english editing and Medical Writing Services visitwww.manuscriptedit.com
