Where does “perfunctory” come from?
Perfunctory derives from Late Latin perfunctorius, from Latin perfungor (to perform or discharge), from Latin fungor (to perform or execute), from Proto-Indo-European bʰewg-.
perfunctory (English): Done only to fulfil a duty, or in a careless or...
Definitions
- Done only to fulfil a duty, or in a careless or...
Ancestry of “perfunctory”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | perfunctōrius | careless, negligent |
| 2 | Latin | perfungor | I fulfil, perform, discharge; I undergo, endure |
| 3 | Latin | per | through, by means of; throughout, during |
| 4 | Latin | Ad | toward, to |
| 5 | Latin | illic | he, she, it, yonder, that, overthere; in that... |
| 6 | Latin | ille | that; those; "; demonstrative pronoun "; that... |
| 7 | Latin | olle | Archaic form of ille |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *olnos | that |