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perforate

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perforate

Where it comes from

The adjective is first attested in 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1538; from Middle English perforat(e) (“perforated, pierced”), borrowed from Latin perforātus, the perfect

passive participle of perforō (“to bore or pierce through, to perforate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from per- (“through, thorough”) + forō (“to bore, pierce”). Participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

verb

  1. Received Pronunciation IPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /ˈpɜː.fə.ɹeɪt/
  2. General American IPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /ˈpɝ.fɚ.eɪt/
  3. Audio (US): (file)

adjective

  1. Received Pronunciation IPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /ˈpɜː.fə.ɹət/
  2. General American IPA⁽ᵏᵉʸ⁾: /ˈpɝ.fɚ.ət/

verb perforates · perforating · perforated

  1. transitive To pierce; to penetrate.
  2. transitive To make a line of holes in (a thin material) to allow separation at the line. to perforate a sheet of postage stamps

    Similar: hole

adjective

  1. not comparable, obsolete, as a participle Perforated. An Earthen Pot perforate at the Bottom to let in the Plant.
  2. not comparable, obsolete, as a participial adjective Perforated, having a hole. Suche abuses can not be longe hydde frome princis, that haue their eares perforate (as is the prouerbe).
  3. not comparable Perforated. A species of remarkable appearance with mature leaf laminae often so profoundly perforate as to resemble a fragile net of tissue.

Translations

Every language

verb to pierce or penetrate

Españolperforar
中文貫穿 /贯穿 guànchuān
Portuguêsperfurar
Deutschperforieren, durchstechen
Ελληνικάδιατρυπώ diatrypó, τρυπώ trypó
Русскийпросве́рливать prosvérlivatʹ, проника́ть pronikátʹ
עבריתחוֹרֵר khorér

verb to make a line of holes

Portuguêsperfurar
Русскийперфори́ровать perforírovatʹ

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Cite this
MLA

"perforate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/perforate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

perforate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/perforate

Chicago

"perforate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/perforate.

BibTeX
@misc{perforate_2026,
  title = {perforate},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/perforate},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}